Boca Chica is a topic that has a way of boiling my blood.  I fell in love with its beach in 2016 when my girlfriends and I spent a week in Brownsville, Texas. According to Wikipedia:

Boca Chica Beach is part of the 10,680-acre (43.2 km²) Boca Chica tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The tract is a former Texas state park located in the Boca Chica Subdelta separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande. The park was acquired by the state of Texas and opened in May 1994. The state park land is now managed by the US federal government as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.^[1]

BOCA CHICA BEAUTY

 The only way in and out of the beach is Highway 4. This two-lane road, running from Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville to the Gulf of Mexico at Boca Chica Beach, is approximately 24 miles long. In 2016, very few people lived in the area, and no convenience stores or motels in sight.

 Additionally, the beach had no manmade structures, only trash barrels. We encountered cars on the beach—people fishing or swimming in the surf. A group of bird watchers were counting the brown pelicans flying overhead.

 And the wildlife!

BOCA CHICA THREATS

 When my husband and I returned in 2019, I was horrified. SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, had moved in, building their launchpad several hundred yards from the beach entrance. Their construction brought more activity and traffic to the area. The picture below of the SpaceX launch pad was taken from the entrance of Boca Chica Beach.

 Check out a video I made of the visit.

 Defenders of Wildlife states:

 Rapid development of SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica poses an existential threat to rare and endangered wildlife native to South Texas.  We are deeply concerned about the ongoing environmental impacts of SpaceX’s operations. These include:  

• Documented habitat destruction
• Wildfires
• Unprecedented noise and vibration
• Documented destruction of bird nests
• Contamination of air and water

SpaceX’s activity continues to escalate quickly at the site, building towards the dream of launching powerful rockets, ultimately at a daily cadence.

Boca Chica explosions of Musk’s Starship are not a rarity. In fact, two explosions occurred in 2025, including one that rained debris that could be seen as far away as the Bahamas. According to SpaceX, this is “a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

 Because of the danger of “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” Highway 4 and the beach are temporarily closed by Cameron County to accommodate SpaceX launches.  

 NASA was concerned about the explosions as well. In 2022, they denied SpaceX permission to launch the Starship from Cape Canaveral.

 Meanwhile, the State of Texas is proposing to widen Highway 4, and hearings begin this summer.

(Note: This picture of the launch pad was taken in 2019.)

BOCA CHICA RIGGED VOTING

 In April 2025, Texas lawmakers denied SpaceX’s request to have more control over Highway 4 and the beach. Not to be deterred, Musk decided to incorporate the SpaceX facilities into a town called Starbase.

 Speculation is that incorporation will allow Musk more control over closing the beach. Indeed, the Texas legislature now appears willing to assist him by considering a bill that would give the town of Starbase the power to close the beach during weekday launches.

 Approximately 282 people were eligible to vote, and 90 percent moved into the area and registered since early 2024.

 Voting was conducted on the company’s campus on May 3, 2025. And, surprise, surprise! The vote approved incorporation by a margin of 212 to 6.

 BOCA CHICA LAST THOUGHTS

 As the Wildlife Defenders point out, Elon Musk is trashing the Earth to colonize Mars. While I am not against progress, but we have so few pieces of pristine land that we must preserve what we have. I have seen industry and environmentalists work to clean up Galveston Bay, going from dead fish in the 1960s to thriving crabs in the 2000s. Industry and nature can exist side by side.

 The sad thing is that Musk does not care about the environment. In the wake of criticism regarding a disastrous SpaceX launch that destroyed nine birds’ nests, Musk tweeted, “To make up for this heinous crime, I will refrain from having omelette for a week.”

 By the time he is finished ruining Texas, we will all have to evacuate to Mars.

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