Recognizing Mike Hayward and His Years of Service and Dedication to the People of Wallowa County, Oregon

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend Mike Hayward for his many years of dedicated public service in Wallowa County. Mike has retired after serving 19 years on the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners, serving 15 of those years as Chairman, and I would like to pay tribute to his leadership for the people of Wallowa County and northeastern Oregon. Born and raised in Pullman, Washington, Mike developed an early affinity for the outdoors, taking jobs in agriculture in his youth before going on to earn a degree in forestry from Washington State University. While at Washington State, he earned a summer internship that stationed him at Wallowa Lake State Park in Joseph, Oregon. After graduation, he was hired on full time at the park, which is where he eventually met his future wife, Beverly. Mike's work with Oregon State Parks took him around the state, but in 1980, he and Bev felt the pull to return to Wallowa County and be closer to their family. Shortly thereafter, Mike took his management skills into the private sector when he and Bev bought Eagle Cap Chalets at the base of the Wallowa Mountains, which they managed for 8 years. Surrounded by federally managed public forest and range lands, timber and livestock production has long been the base of Wallowa County's economy. Mike's knowledge of forestry and agriculture as well as several years of community leadership roles, including a seat on the Joseph City Council and time spent directing the local Chamber of Commerce, led several of his close friends to suggest he run for County Commissioner in 1997. Since then, Mike has constantly kept a sharp eye out for opportunities to represent and defend the County's interests as a leader of a number of organizations including the Grand Ronde Model Watershed Council, Northeast Oregon Housing Authority, Association of Oregon Counties, Wallowa-Union Railroad, and several regional forestry collaboratives and resource advisory committees. When 57 percent of your county is controlled and often mismanaged by the federal government, working to grow the economy and opportunities for the local communities can be an understandably frustrating process at times. Yet, Mike's knowledgeable, hard-working and even-keeled approach led him to become recognized as a leader on public lands and other natural resource issues affecting counties across eastern Oregon. Over the years, I got to know Mike well and came to rely on this counsel as well. Whether it is travel management plans on the Wallowa- Whitman, or the on-going Blue Mountain Forest Plan Revision process, I appreciated Mike's useful input and insight as we worked together to find creative solutions to the challenges facing Wallowa County and their neighbors in northeast Oregon. As Mike takes on his new role as General Manager for the Wallowa County Grain Growers, his retirement from elected office doesn't mean Wallowa County will be losing his leadership or knowledge. Dedicated to his community, I know Mike will find a number of ways to continue serving and giving back. For the last six years, Mike and Bev have donated and served a community wide Thanksgiving Dinner in Enterprise. Such acts of generosity are a perfect example of the dedication Mike has shown over the years to the fellow members of his community. Above all, Mike is dedicated to his family. He and Bev returned to the county over 36 years ago to be closer to family, and I know that he is now looking forward to having a little more time to spend with his wife and grandchild. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, please join me in recognizing and thanking my good friend, Mike Hayward, for his many years of leadership in Wallowa County. I wish Mike all the best in his new pursuits.

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