Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is the largest protected area of natural habitat left in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The 120,000-acre (49,000 ha) refuge is located almost entirely in Cameron County, Texas, 25 mi (40 km) east of Harlingen,[2] although a very small part of its northernmost point extends into southern Willacy County.[3]
History
This section needs expansion with: How did the Laguna Atascosa area become a wildlife refuge? What were the forces and legislation that created it? You can help by adding to it. (January 2024)
By 2010, it had grown to encompass a total of 65,096 acres (26,343 ha) in a landscape of "an interspersed pattern of meandering resacas (oxbow lakes), lomas (brush-covered sand/clay dunes), coastal prairies, and wetlands."[2]
In January 2024, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced a proposal to add 477 acres (1.93 km2) to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge via a swap of land currently owned by SpaceX, in order to allow SpaceX to become the owner of 43 acres (17 ha) of Boca Chica State Park land to expand their existing rocket launch facility at SpaceX Starbase.[4][5]
^"Endangered Species". Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. August 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
^"Management". Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2009.