Dan Lay

Nacogdoches | Wildlife Bioligist

Mr. Lay was a wildlife biologist who lived in Nacogdoches. One of the first graduates of the Wildlife Management School at Texas A&M, and among the first professional biologists hired by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, he saw remarkable changes in the understanding and protection of wildlife in the state. While his career was mostly spent at the Parks and Wildlife Department (including stints as Wildlife Restoration director, statewide coordinator for mitigation, and regional director of TPWD offices in Beaumont and Lufkin), he also worked for the General Land Office in developing a Coastal Management program. In more recent years, he also worked as a wildlife biology consultant, private forestland manager, and author (he wrote over 50 journal articles, and co-wrote the award-winning book, the Land of Bears and Honey, with Dr. Joe Truett).