Big Thicket is known for its unique biodiversity. It would not be preserved as it is today as a national preserve without the dedicated work of conservationists and wildlife experts. Lance Rosier was one of the first advocates for the protection of the Big Thicket region, specifically from the lumber and petroleum industries. Without Rosier’s expertise and passion, Big Thicket might look much different than it does today.
Rosier was born in 1886, south of Saratoga, Texas, in the heart of the Big Thicket. He was born on a farm with his parents but moved to his aunt’s boarding house, the Vines Hotel, where he spent the majority of his childhood. Though Rosier did not complete high school, he was captivated by the rich biodiversity found in the Big Thicket region. He became a self-taught botanist who learned from reading botanical publications and studying the flora of southeast Texas, travelling on foot through the dense underbrush. “When other boys hunted jobs, [he] hunted shrubs and plants.” He would regularly provide tours for anyone curious about the thicket, highlighting both the beauty of the area and destruction of natural features from industrial development.
The East Texas Big Thicket Association (ETBTA), an early group of environmentalists, was established in 1927 to help secure protections for the Big Thicket region. Its goal was to preserve a portion of the Big Thicket in its natural state for future generations. Rosier was part of this driving force for preservation and provided tours for scientists throughout the thicket to provide direction through the thick understory. He aimed to convey the region’s importance to those who could lead to more formal protections and designations through the documentation of its biological diversity.
The ETBTA lost momentum and ceased to exist in 1957 due to the discovery of large deposits of oil, increasing demand for lumber in World War II, and the federal acquisition of nearby land for a national forest. However, it was evident to Rosier that the region needed a citizen group that was exclusively focused on preservation if a park was ever to be created; therefore the Big Thicket Association (BTA) was established. Rosier continued to assist the new BTA and served as temporary president before he recruited and appointed Dempsie Henley to the position.
Upon invitation from Dempsie Henley, Senator Ralph Yarborough toured Big Thicket in 1965 accompanied by prominent environmentalists. Rosier served as a guide for the group as they searched for potential park sites. It was during this trip that Yarborough was persuaded to pursue a push for protection as a national park site.
Unfortunately, Lance Rosier died in 1970, four years before the national preserve was established. Though he was unable to see the result of his life’s work and passion, Big Thicket would not be preserved in the way it is today without his efforts. The first and largest unit, the Lance Rosier Unit, within the preserve is named after “Mr. Big Thicket.” The unit encompasses the area near Saratoga in which he was born and is named after the influential botanist who succeeded in helping preserve the Big Thicket.
Naturalist Lance Rosier examining plants in the Big Thicket. Year unknown.
Larry Jene Fisher Collection, Lamar University Archives and Special Collections
