Mel Huie
Metro regional trails coordinator Mel Huie was recognized Saturday night for his contributions to the Portland region’s walkability as pedestrian advocacy group Oregon Walks presented him with the 2015 Legacy Award at its annual Weston Awards dinner.
Huie, who has worked on regional trails development since 1977, has been working for nearly 30 years on a 1,000-mile trail network in the Portland region.
In accepting the award Saturday, Huie quoted the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.”
"You’ve all heard that," he joked.
Huie has been a fan of urban walking since childhood, when he grew up in Portland without a car. Since then, he's traveled to and walked many cities, including New York City and London. He is working toward his goal of walking along the Great Wall of China.
Recently, Huie has been working on a broader network of trails in the Portland region, which could one day stretch from Henry Hagg Lake in the west to Mt. Hood in the east and from Portland to the coast.
The vision, he said, is coming together. So far, 400 of those miles have been built as part of the regional trail network.
“They were all kind of crazy ideas a few years ago,” he said. “But [now] they’re actually in policy documents.”
But Huie added another Lao Tzu quote that hinted at the hard work that it has taken to get this far: "To be worn out is to be renewed."
The Weston Awards have been presented since 2011 to recognize contributions to the walkability of the Portland region. Past Metro recipients include senior transportation planner Lake Strongheart McTighe in 2014, Councilor Kathryn Harrington in 2013, and then-councilor Rex Burkholder in 2012.
Other recipients this year included safe streets advocate Kristi Finney-Dunn, Portland Planning and Sustainability Commissioner Chris Smith, Rep. Shemia Fagan (D-Happy Valley), and the Asian Pacific Network of Oregon.
See Huie's full acceptance speech below.