Mastodawn

The Esto’k Gna Fight to Protect #SacredLands from #SpaceX Expansion

Oct 14, 2025

Key takeaways:

- Tribal nation challenges #SpaceX expansion: The Esto’k Gna, or #CarrizoComecrudo Tribe of #Texas, oppose SpaceX’s ongoing expansion at Boca Chica, saying the project desecrates sacred lands and harms protected ecosystems.
- #EnvironmentalDamage documented: Tribal leaders and #conservationists report that rocket launches have caused #fires, #debris fallout, and #HabitatLoss in an area home to #EndangeredSpecies.
- Lack of consultation and oversight: The Esto’k Gna say they were never properly consulted by federal or state agencies, despite legal obligations to consider Indigenous rights and cultural heritage in environmental reviews.
- Broader fight for recognition: The Tribe’s concerns highlight ongoing struggles for federal acknowledgment and protection of #IndigenousSovereignty in the face of high-tech industrial expansion.

Excerpt: "On the southernmost edge of Texas, where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf, the Esto’k Gna Tribal Nation — also known as the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas — still hopes to protect what remains of its ancestral lands from Elon Musk’s expanding SpaceX base.

The tribe says the company’s operations at Boca Chica — rebranded 'Starbase' — have devastated fragile #ecosystems, desecrated #SacredSites, and cut off traditional access to the coastline that forms the heart of their creation story. What SpaceX hails as a gateway to Mars, tribal leaders call a continuation of the centuries-long #erasure of Indigenous peoples in the name of progress. As Tribal Chairman #JuanMancias recently told Decatur Metro, 'They dream of reaching Mars. We’re just trying to stay on Earth.' "

Watch video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPcDYLEKc0c

#CulturalGenocide #EstokGna #IntercontinentalCry #ReaderSupportedNews #SacredLand #BocaChicaBeach #RocketLaunch #Pollution #CarrizoComecrudoTribe #ProtectTheSacred #Colonialism
#CorporateColonialism #OccupySpaceX #TwoHeartedPeople #GarciaPasture #EndangeredSpecies #AncestralLand #ElonSucks #StarbaseCity

The Esto’k Gna Fight to Protect Sacred Lands from SpaceX Expansion – Intercontinental Cry

The Esto’k Gna Tribal Nation still hopes to protect what remains of its ancestral lands from Elon Musk’s expanding SpaceX base.

Intercontinental Cry

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬15h ago

#Climate experts say #spring is coming earlier. How will that affect #agriculture and #ecosystems?
An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.
The #USA National #Phenology Network shows that this year spring arrived three to five weeks earlier than the average between 1991 to 2020 in much of the central #US and two to three weeks earlier in southern Midwest states.
https://grist.org/climate/climate-experts-say-spring-is-coming-earlier-how-will-that-affect-agriculture-and-ecosystems/

Climate experts say spring is coming earlier. How will that affect agriculture and ecosystems?

An earlier spring affects when migratory birds arrive, leaves emerge, and fruit ripens — among plants and animals that determine ecosystem health.

Grist

💧🌏 Greg Cocks 21h ago

Scale Dependence In Remotely Sensed Biodiversity: Leveraging Continental-Scale Imaging Spectroscopy From The National Ecological Observatory Network [spatial analysis]
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https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.70068 <-- shared paper
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01702-5 <-- shared paper
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#spectraldiversity #spectroscopy #spatialscale #US #NEON #NationalEcologicalObservatoryNetwork #species #ecology #humanimpacts #remotesensing #biodiversity #earthobservation #GIS #spatial #mapping #scale #scale #diversity #metrics #ecosystems #spectral #richness #scaledependency #principalcompoenent #divergence #spatialanalysis #raster #topography #climate #geomorphology #regression #geostatistics #vegetation #plant #area #region #largescale #continent #forest #tree

BellingenNSW 1d ago

Automating rapid environment assessments for extractions could ultimately push Australian flora and fauna closer to extinction.

Using AI to prepare and evaluate environmental assessments risks ‘robodebt-style’ failures, scientists say >>
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/06/ai-environmental-assessments-robodebt-style-failures
#biodiversity #EPBCAct #conservation #ecosystems #extraction #mining #Robodebt #AI #governance #speed #EcologySlop

Using AI to speed up Australia’s environmental approvals risks ‘robodebt-style’ failures, scientists say

Conservationists say move could push species closer to extinction and clearer environmental rules are needed instead

The Guardian

Ms. Que Banh 1d ago

I'm getting some resources this week, to put together several free #GarryOakEcosystem #nature #zines to give away in my #LittleFreeLibrary all through this Spring & Summer.
It's part of my ongoing personal efforts to boost #NatureEducation / #NatureTeachings - right from the front of our home; so more people can learn about amazing local #biodiversity in our local #ecosystems 🙂
People who learn more about nature, will learn to love, respect & protect nature life systems 💚☘️

#FreeZines #NatureZines #KeystoneSpecies #GarryOaks #Wsanec #Saanich #CommunityBuilding #CommunityEducation #CommunitySharing #CommunityLibrary #EverythingIsFree #Ecological #VictoriaBC #VancouverIsland #YYJ #VanIsle #PNW

Show thread

Nonilex 1d ago

“When that happens, you often see #GrayWhales in a more desperate search for new areas to feed,” Calambokidis said. “That’s the most likely context for this whale.”

Researchers will attempt to examine the whale, possibly as soon as Monday.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw

Show thread

Nonilex 1d ago

The #whale was discovered Saturday near Raymond, Washington, in the Willapa River, which feeds into the #ocean at Willapa Bay. A number of #GrayWhales are currently in the bay on their 5,000-mile (8,000-kilometer) spring migration from birthing grounds in Baja California, Mexico, north to feeding grounds in Alaska.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw

Nonilex 1d ago

A juvenile #GrayWhale that amazed Washington state residents after it swam 20 miles up a small river was found dead, & an official with a #marine mammal research group suspects #hunger may have driven the whale to new hunting grounds as the species’ population declines.

#science #climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #EndangeredSpecies #ecosystems #MarineLife #whales #law #EnvironmentalLaw
https://apnews.com/article/gray-whale-dies-washington-river-ba070a4060f2f48f0e4533cc14b944b2

Juvenile gray whale found dead in Willapa River, hunger suspected

A juvenile gray whale that swam 20 miles up a river in Washington state has been found dead. A marine mammal research group suspects hunger drove the whale to new hunting grounds. The whale was discovered Saturday in the Willapa River, which feeds into the ocean at Willapa Bay. Gray whales are currently migrating from Mexico to Alaska. Experts say the population of gray whales in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean has faced a crisis due to reduced food availability in the Arctic. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries agency declared an unusual mortality event for the whales from late 2018 to late 2023. Their numbers continue to decline.

AP News

formuchdeliberation 1d ago

Satellite mirror plans could disrupt sleep and ecosystems worldwide, scientists say | Satellites | The Guardian…

Proposals to deploy reflective mirrors and up to 1m more satellites in low Earth orbit could have far-reaching consequences for human health and ecosystems, leading sleep and circadian rhythm researchers have said... #satellites #space #sleep #ecosystems

https://formuchdeliberation.wordpress.com/2026/04/06/satellite-mirror-plans-could-disrupt-sleep-and-ecosystems-worldwide-scientists-say-satellites-the-guardian/

Satellite mirror plans could disrupt sleep and ecosystems worldwide, scientists say | Satellites | The Guardian…

for much deliberation

SPAAM-community 1d ago

What did #ancient #viral #ecosystems look like? 🦠🧬 Sedimentary #aDNA from lakes and oceans reveals 2,000+ viral taxa and shows how #virus–host interactions changed from the #Pleistocene to today.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ismejo/wrag025
#MetagenomicsMonday #SPAAM #aDNA #sedaDNA

DNA virus–host patterns in lake and marine environments over the last glacial cycle

Abstract. Viruses are integral to population dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, and host evolution, making them essential for ecosystem function. We explore

OUP Academic