Bessie McCollough Reid

Bessie Reid was a naturalist, organizer, and landowner in the Port Arthur area, often working and traveling with her close friend, Corrie Herring Hooks. Reid was also a folklorist, author, and co-founder of the Texas Ornithological Society and the Big Thicket Association. She is remembered for her work saving the roseate spoonbill and giving classes and presentations across Texas to raise awareness about birds and wildlife. She also leaves behind a legacy of protected lands, now part of the Nature Conservancy’s Bogs and Pinelands Preserve, in the Roy E. Larsen Sandylands Sanctuary.