AUSTWELL, Texas — There could be more land coming to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants public input this month regarding a proposal to almost double the size of the refuge. Many different species call the area home, including the endangered whooping crane. Officials said this can help provide those animals with support.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the proposal includes adding as many as 95,000 acres that would be added on to the 155,240 acres already there. Experts said the space is a critical habitat for many different animals.
"It's good for the ecosystem itself, it's good for the species that call that space home and would be good for Texas," said Texas State Aquarium CEO Jesse Gilbert.
Gilbert said one species that would benefit greatly from more land at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is whooping cranes.
"They are here, this is where they come, and so to protect that habitat, to increase that habitat, only adds to, hopefully, the growing population of whooping cranes," Gilbert said.
Dr. Michael Womack, South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center executive director, said expanding the refuge could help wintering birds. He said whooping cranes need more space since their pairs are territorial.
"If they're able to almost double the size of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, that means that you can have twice as many birds in a protected space," Dr. Womack said.
Dr. Womack explained more land could also be an investment for future generations to see birds that live on the refuge. He said people travel from all over the world to the Coastal Bend just to see the nature that calls the area home.
"Wildlife also attracts tourists," Dr. Womack said. "So, it's going to help our nature tourism economy in South Texas."
Other animals that have benefited from previous conservation efforts include the bald eagle and the American alligator. Gilbert said you can spot that species of gator at the refuge. He also explained that when animals get the help they need, it shows what is possible through rescue work.
"They can rebound, nature can really be resilient, if you get them, if you give them that step up, and that's what we see at the rescue program," Gilbert said. "That's a big part of it. If you just give them a little bit of help, they really can figure it out."
Jesse Gilbert also said the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is sometimes a place where the Texas State Aquarium releases rehabilitated animals. He said an expansion would be a good thing to help wildlife that currently benefits from living there.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they will review public comments to help develop plans for the refuge. The deadline to submit public comments is Jan. 26 and can be sent to r2_plancomments@fws.gov.