[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1910]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN HONOR OF MIKE TYNER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mike 
Tyner, a remarkable young man who died tragically last year. Mike was a 
field crew leader for the Ventana Wildlife Society's California Condor 
Reintroduction Program. During a powerful wind storm on November 30th, 
2011, a falling tree branch struck and killed Mike when he was in the 
field in Big Sur, California, to ensure the safety of a newly released 
endangered condor. He was just 35 years old.
   Mike graduated from California Polytechnic University San Luis 
Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Systematic 
Biology. He lived a life of accomplishment, serving as a research 
assistant at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a volunteer for the USDA 
Forest Service. He joined the Ventana Wildlife Society in 2002, 
studying songbirds along the Carmel River and conducting surveys for 
Spotted Owls in the Big Sur backcountry. He also achieved success in 
his work as an ornithologist, botanist, and a desert biological 
monitor.
   In 2006, Mike began working full-time on Ventana Wildlife Society's 
California Condor Recovery program. He quickly rose to the position of 
field crew leader. Mike was dedicated to protecting condors, even in 
the most challenging conditions. During the 2008 Big Sur wildfire, Mike 
and his team safely rescued seven captive condors that were held in a 
field pen in the fire's path. Thanks in large part to Mike's efforts, 
all biologists and condors were brought to safety. Releasing a young 
condor into the wild was not only Mike's last act of service to our 
earth community, but it was an act that captured the essence of Mike's 
legacy.
   Mike is survived by his loving mother, Nancy Ann Tyner; three 
sisters, Theresa Ann Guire, Mary Cynthia Clayton, and Kathleen Julie 
Morgan; two brothers, Timothy Gordon Skeens and John Eric Skeens; and 
his many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, 
Jack Lue Tyner.
   Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to rise today to honor the memory of 
Mike Tyner. Mike gave his life to help endangered species flourish, and 
his life is a reminder that we can all play a part in devoting 
ourselves to making the world a healthier and more beautiful place.

                          ____________________