Critical Environmental Areas

CEA's

Local agencies may designate specific geographic areas within their boundaries as "Critical Environmental Areas" (CEAs). State agencies may also designate geographic areas they own, manage or regulate.

Contact the designating agency for more information concerning a specific Critical Environmental Area.

To be designated as a CEA, an area must have an exceptional or unique character with respect to one or more of the following:

a benefit or threat to human health;
a natural setting (e.g., fish and wildlife habitat, forest and vegetation, open space and areas of important aesthetic or scenic quality);
agricultural, social, cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, or educational values; or
an inherent ecological, geological or hydrological sensitivity to change that may be adversely affected by any change.

Following designation, the potential impact of any Type I or Unlisted Action on the environmental characteristics of the CEA is a relevant area of environmental concern and must be evaluated in the determination of significance prepared pursuant to Section 617.7 of SEQR.

Where available, a link to a map of the Critical Environmental Area is provided. If a county is not listed below, there are presently no Critical Environmental Areas in that county.