PECAN ISLAND — The potential of SpaceX landing in Pecan Island has residents and hunters feeling mixed emotions.
Craig Pitre, a Pecan Island resident, said the development represents a shift for the area.
"What are my thoughts on SpaceX basically invading our habitat? I guess all I can say is that it's closing one chapter and opening another," Pitre said. "You can't stop progress, and that's what's going on is progress. We can't stay stuck in the past, and I feel sorry for the people who are heartbroken over it. I am somewhat heartbroken over it, but you know, progress is progress."
Known for its hunting and fishing, Pecan Island outdoorsmen are worried about SpaceX's potential impacts on Louisiana's Sportsman's Paradise.
"I've been hunting and I mean crabbing, hunting too, but mainly crabbing and fishing out of here since '79, and I know it's going to disrupt all that," said Billy Ellington, a Pecan Island outdoorsman.
Ellington travels from Lafayette several times a year to fish, hunt and crab in Pecan Island.
"My son's here with me today, and I've been bringing him since he was young, and so it's going to totally disrupt all that," he said.
Kane Ellington, Billy's son, said his memories of hunting and fishing in Pecan Island will remain even if the scenery changes.
"It's going to be weird driving through here to still go hunting, fishing, and all that and see it being a metropolis instead of Pecan Island, you know. You get down here and you see the alligator swimming in the ditch and the marsh," Kane Ellington said.
