09/23/2026
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service plans to hand over more than 700 acres of the Santa Ana & Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges to SpaceX in exchange for smaller land parcels scattered across the region.
The scrublands, prairies, and beaches of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges in south Texas are not only home to some of the United States' most critically endangered species, including ocelots, northern aplomado falcons, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, and piping plovers, but it's home to 900+ beetle species just within the remaining sabal palm habitat alone (which was already devastated by agricultural conversion) and the broader Lower Rio Grande Valley contains hundreds documented butterfly species, along with the Federally endangered Zapata bladderpod plant which hosts an unknown number of specialist species. With a known conservation attention gap in insects, it's expected that there could be hundreds of other already threatened insects unique to this refuge.
This sweetheart deal is set to be one of the largest land exchanges in the history of the national wildlife refuge system.
SpaceX's activities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley have already caused damage to important wildlife habitat, including documented destruction of sensitive shorebird nests. If this dubious deal goes through, it will sever crucial corridors for endangered species and make even more animals suffer.
Please sign this petition, and help the Center for Biological Diversity the fight to uphold protection for the Santa Ana & Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuges - because allowing one nature refuge to be sold opens the door to continued destruction of critical habitats.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge is home to some of the United States' most critically endangered species. But now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to hand over more than 700 acres of this precious refuge to SpaceX. Tell your senators to stop this reckless giveaway.
