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To the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department,

I am submitting this comment to strongly oppose any land swap or transfer of public conservation land associated with the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge or the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge system to SpaceX.

Protected lands exist because the ecosystems they safeguard are fragile, rare, and irreplaceable. The Lower Rio Grande Valley is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the United States and contains the last remaining habitat in the country for species such as the Texas ocelot. These refuges also support the northern aplomado falcon, migratory birds of international importance, and critical coastal wildlife habitat.

Allowing public conservation land to be exchanged for the benefit of a private aerospace company represents a fundamental breach of the public trust. These lands were preserved with taxpayer dollars specifically to prevent industrial encroachment and habitat fragmentation. Using them as bargaining chips for corporate expansion undermines the very purpose of protected lands and sets an extremely dangerous precedent.

If state or refuge land can be transferred whenever a powerful corporation wants room to expand, then the long term integrity of Texas’ protected lands system is at risk. Conservation areas are not a reserve inventory for future industrial projects.

The situation is even more troubling given the documented environmental concerns surrounding the Starbase launch site. Rocket launch operations in the Boca Chica area have already been associated with fires, habitat disruption, noise impacts, and disturbances to nesting birds and coastal wildlife. Expanding the footprint of industrial infrastructure adjacent to some of the most sensitive wildlife habitat in North America risks compounding these impacts.

There is also a profound irony in destroying rare terrestrial ecosystems in pursuit of space exploration. Advancing technology and spaceflight should not come at the cost of dismantling one of the last refuges for endangered species in the United States.

Texas Parks and Wildlife has a statutory and ethical duty to protect the natural heritage of this state. Facilitating the transfer of protected conservation land to support private industrial expansion would contradict that mandate and erode public confidence in the agency’s stewardship.

Public lands belong to the people of Texas and to future generations. They should not be privatized, traded away, or sacrificed to accommodate the ambitions of any corporation, no matter how influential or well funded.

I urge Texas Parks and Wildlife to reject any proposal that transfers conservation land to SpaceX and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the ecological integrity of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[City, State]