[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 26136]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL O. HILL

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute today to 
Michael O. Hill, superintendent of Assateague Island National Seashore. 
Mike is retiring after a long and distinguished career in the National 
Park Service, and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation and 
especially for the outstanding job he did in managing and enhancing 
Assateague Island National Seashore since coming to Maryland in 2000.
  Throughout his 33-year career with the National Park Service, Mike 
Hill has distinguished himself through his commitment and dedication to 
managing and protecting some of our Nation's most precious treasures. 
Beginning as a seasonal employee at Sequoia National Park in 1973, 
Mike's career quickly took him through a variety of increasingly 
challenging posts, from his first permanent position as a horse patrol 
ranger at Petrified Forest National Park to management positions in 
parks all over our country including Channel Islands National Park, 
Shenandoah National Park, VA, and Biscayne National Park, FL. In 1990, 
he was selected for the 2-year Bevinetto congressional fellowship 
program, where he worked with the National Park Service and Congress to 
better manage our national parks. In 1993, he became superintendent of 
Petersburg National Battlefield, and in 2000 he was selected for his 
present position at Assateague Island National Seashore.
  Over the past 5 years, I have had the opportunity and privilege to 
work closely with Mike on several initiatives to protect the natural 
resources at Assateague and to enhance visitors' experiences at the 
seashore. I know firsthand the great leadership and expertise he 
brought not only to these initiatives, but equally important, to 
supporting and encouraging one of the finest staffs of park 
professionals in the country--at a time when all our parks are 
operating with only two-thirds of the needed funding and personnel. 
Under Mike's direction, the integrity of the northern 7 miles of the 
National Seashore has been restored after decades of unnatural erosion, 
plans have been advanced to develop a new barrier island visitors 
center to accommodate the increasing number of visitors to the park, 
and partnerships with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the 
Maryland Coastal Bay Program, and the State and local governments have 
been strengthened.
  Mike's dedication to the stewardship of the National Park System has 
earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues, park visitors, 
and community residents, alike. His passion for Assateague was evident 
even in his voicemail: ``I can't take your call right now. With any 
luck, I'm out on the Island.'' It is due to that commitment that 
visitors to Assateague and other units of the National Park System will 
benefit from his labors for years to come. I want to extend my personal 
congratulations and thanks for his many years of hard work and 
dedication to the principal conservation mission of the National Park 
Service and join with his friends and coworkers in wishing him and his 
family well in the years to come.
  It is my firm conviction that public service is one of the most 
honorable callings, one that demands the very best, most dedicated 
efforts of those who have the opportunity to serve their fellow 
citizens and country. Throughout his career, Mike Hill has exemplified 
a steadfast commitment to meeting his demand.

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