The eight miles of undeveloped, pristine beach we call Boca Chica is the single greatest asset of Cameron County. If one prefers to evaluate in dollars and cents, it is worth BILLIONS! Cities across the country would KILL to have access to a beach like that. The tract of land adjacent to the dunes was described in the "Brownsville Herald" as "nothing but sand," as ignorant a statement as ever uttered. The area is teeming with life: deer, seabirds, flora, fauna and a host of creatures too numerous to mention. While waiting on my friend Tom Robinson to report on the potential damage to the area by placing a commercial rocket launch pad just off the beach, let me share a few pics from Seth Patterson's "El Valle" volume. Simply click on these pics to enlarge.
Calling Boca Chica Beach "pristine" is like calling a lady of the night "virginal". Boca Chica is a place that people go to throw trash, deal/move drugs, meet their relatives/friends coming across the mouth of the river from Mexico. It can be more valuable as a SpaceX launch site. People who want to enjoy the beach can, those that abuse it will be under new scrutiny. Jim, you are sentimental fool....but this community needs jobs, not sentiment. If the birds and wildlifer were so important, we would open a birding center or wildlife preserve....we haven't....no money. Your are sorely misguided if you think the people of Brownsville hold the asthetic values of Boca Chica to be more important than improving the local economy. Perhaps that means that you should get out in the community more...away from the downtown bars.
ReplyDeleteActually Brownsville has 01 of the 03 world birding centers here in the Valley, in addition to 6 other unique sites to see birds. It is called "Resaca de la Palm... it is also a Texas State Park. In addition numerous acreage in the general area of boca chica beach is protected by the National Wildlife Refuge System, in conjuction with the Laguna Atascoa National Wildlife Refuge.
Delete"Your**(You're) are sorely misguided if you think the people of Brownsville hold the asthetic**(aesthetic) values of Boca Chica to be more important than improving the local economy."
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No my friend it is you who is truly "misguided" **MISUNDERSTOOD** if you believe the people of Brownsville and South Texas share you myopic view of our wildlife and economy. Are you even aware that since Since 1987, the Valley Land Fund has worked in partnerships with public organizations through South Texas, private individuals, and groups alike in facilitating the protection of over 8,000 acres of South Texas land through gift, purchase or conservation easement ? Equating Boca Chica beach to a hooker...ok...do you have any idea how much life that "place that people go to throw trash, deal/move drugs, meet their relatives/friends coming across the mouth of the river from Mexico" supports, do you have any idea how much plant life that ultimately support all that wildlife exist in that area, or are you going to simply keep ascribing to decades old stereotypes and worn out cliches' ? Aside from the actual beachfront "sand" that you most likely are referring to there are hundreds and hundreds of hectares of undisturbed land beyond the beachfront that have existed in their natural form for 100's-and-100's of years. You haven't the slightest clue as to how water cycles, soil regeneration and plant succession affect our daily lives. Well-managed, open space and lands plays a vital role in everything from flood control to carbon sequestration. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding exhibited by not only yourself but of a society as a whole is and always will continue to plague societal benefits provided by open spaces and will only perpetuate our collective efforts to make sound natural resource policy decisions. Sometimes, this lack of understanding causes us to undervalue the things that are most important, and skews our vision of what is truly the highest and best use for land.
I don't know how else to say it but the City of Brownsville and your extreme case of short and nearsightedness and desire for $$$ is NO REASON TO THROW AWAY such a vital part of OURS, yours and MINE alike's, natural resources.
If Boca Chica is going to be ravished by all the pollutants Space X will produce, lets think this out first. Instead, open Casinos and Hotels and squander this land like the good lord intended. Better yet, leave Boca Chica the hell alone.
ReplyDeletepollutants? really? all the white smoke you see when a rocket lifts off is steam! it's once a month...big deal. maybe the utilities that spacex will extend out there will enable the coutny to install some restrooms and garbage dumpsters. that will improve the pristineness way more than the once a month lift offs will harm it!
DeleteOh yeah like you are going to get a job right away this company is not going to hire common folk it's going to hire engineers and people that have masters from other universities not people that every weekend get drunk and Beat their wives, girlfriends etc lets preserve our beach !
ReplyDeletehey dumbass, those engineers they bring in will need houses to live in. they will need to buy groceries, they will need to buy other things from our stores.. those home building companies, and stores and restaurants will hire the local yokels to serve those imported engineers..so yes, this will create lots of jobs. it's economics 101. maybe they will even organize to clean up that trashy beach every so often. stop being so close minded!
Deleteoh really? i dont think heb is going to be hiring tons of hundreds of people or that the community is going to realize "geez, space x is coming lets all go to school and get careers!"
ReplyDeleteThe jobs that start at $55,000 per year will likely be filled by move-ins. Locals will get the security guard, janitorial and landscape maintenance jobs.
ReplyDeletejobs are jobs! i guess we could just say no...and boca chica beach would continue to be a trashed, isolated stretch of beach where people crap in the dunes. and florida or puerto rico could enjoy those security/janitor jobs. don't forget though that UTB has an Engineering Technology Program.
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