Defenders Calls on Service to Pull Out from Habitat-Degrading Land Swap

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently outlined its proposed land deal with SpaceX that would divest hundreds of acres across two national wildlife refuges in South Texas that are among the most biologically diverse and sensitive in the United States. Defenders of Wildlife condemns the proposed deal and calls on the FWS to protect America’s refuges, not sacrifice them to industrial development.

In its draft environmental assessment, the FWS proposes giving 712 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge to SpaceX in exchange for 692 acres owned by the company, some of which would be added to nearby Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.  

“The proposed exchange flies in the face of the law,” said Nathan Marcy, Defenders of Wildlife’s senior federal lands policy analyst. “While the Service cites the impacts of SpaceX as justification for the exchange, giving the company the very land it destroyed through its own actions won’t buy safety for Lower Rio Grande Valley. Just the opposite, it will guarantee even more development on the refuge’s doorstep, which in turn will damage even more wildlife habitat.”  

If the land exchange goes forward, divested refuge lands — those that were established to protect valuable habitats — would be developed by SpaceX for various uses, including residential and heavy industrial activities, in areas that are already under immense pressure from increasing development. SpaceX’s testing and launch facility in Boca Chica has already degraded sensitive wildlife habitat. Experimental rockets have caused damage through falling debris, explosions, fires and have impacted shorebird nests. These activities also threaten the FWS’ years of dedication to establishing an Ocelot Coastal Corridor to help recover that endangered species.  

The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1979 to protect biodiversity, is also home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, and is the historic range of the jaguarundi and the ocelot. Running along the iconic Rio Grande, this refuge  is positioned at the nexus of four climate zones — temperate, tropical, coastal, and desert — making it one of the most biologically diverse regions in the U.S.

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1946 to protect rich, diverse habitats near the hypersaline Laguna Madre along the Texas coast. Its 110,000 acres support species like the endangered ocelot, the northern aplomado falcon, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle and Texas tortoise. Additionally, millions of birds use the refuge as a stopover during annual migrations.  

The public may submit comments to r2plancomments@fws.gov by March 31.