Lorraine Mary Gagnon Bonney

While born in Edmonton, Canada, Lorraine Bonney was a long-time Houston resident, and with her husband, Orrin, a dedicated Texas conservationist. She was one of the founders of the Sierra Club’s Houston Regional Group and its state-wide association, the Lone Star Chapter (1965). An outspoken opponent of clearcutting in the east Texas national forests, she helped push for setting aside wilderness areas in the state. She also collaborated with Maxine Johnston and Geraldine Watson in pressing for creation of the Big Thicket National Preserve, and helped introduce many visitors to the beauties of the area through her book, The Big Thicket Guidebook: Exploring the Backroads and History of Southeast Texas. Beyond her work in Texas, Bonney is also remembered for her intrepid hiking and mountaineering in the Tetons and Yellowstone area, much of it documented through a series of authoritative guides to the region.