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10 CapitalPress.com October 21, 2016 Oregon By CRAIG REED For the Capital Press UMPQUA, Ore. — Elin Mill- er was a seven-year member of FFA as a young adult. She said those FFA experiences were strong inluences on her future, providing her the skills that led to a successful business career with major corporations and government agencies. For the past 20 years, Mill- er has been giving back to that program that helped set her fu- ture. The National FFA Organi- zation will recognize Miller’s volunteer efforts by presenting her with the VIP Citation at the 89th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Ind. The honor was to be awarded to Miller on Friday. It recognizes “individuals who have provided exceptional support of school- based agricultural education and FFA.” Miller was a four-year mem- ber of FFA at Westwood High School in Mesa, Ariz., and then a three-year member while at- tending the University of Arizo- na in Tucson. “FFA changed my life per- sonally,” said Miller, who with her husband, Bill, owns and works a hazelnut orchard in the Umpqua area. “I would not have had the career opportunities if not for the leadership skills and the technical aspects of agricul- ture that FFA taught me. “I learned as much in high school through FFA competing in contests as I did in advance classes at the university,” she added. Miller’s career included working for Shell Oil in its agriculture division, for Dow Chemical in its public affairs global division and for Dow AgroSciences. She was also ex- ecutive director of Western Ag- ricultural Chemicals Association and was a presidential appointee to the Environmental Protection Agency for Region 10, which in- cludes Oregon, Idaho, Washing- ton and Alaska. She serves on several company boards, both local- ly and nationally. Her past 20 years with FFA Elin have included be- Miller ing a member of the National FFA Foundation board for the last seven years. She chaired the board for one year. Miller helped establish the Individual Giving Council that is part of the national foundation. “That council has put more emphasis on reaching back to FFA alumni and to other support- ers and sponsors for contribu- tions,” Miller explained. “Most of the contributions to FFA had come from corporations, small and large, like 85 percent. Now we’re starting to move in the di- rection of seeking contributions from individuals.” At the end of this year, Miller will be stepping down from the national board. “I’m very surprised,” she said of being recognized with the VIP Citation honor. “It’s a bit of a capstone and a culmination of having reconnected with FFA over the last 20 years. I’ve put a lot of effort back into the or- ganization.” Miller, however, plans to continue to support FFA by helping the Oregon FFA Foun- dation with its fundraising. The National FFA Organi- zation has about 630,000 mem- bers. A news release from the national ofice credited Miller with going “the extra mile” for FFA. “Outstanding dedicated peo- ple like you deserve most of the credit for changing the lives of these young people,” Steve Brown, National FFA advis- er and board chairman, wrote in a statement to Miller. “It is an honor to publicly recognize your outstanding support of our youth and agricultural educa- tion.” Poll shows Oregonians favor wolf deterrence, not death By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press An opinion poll commissioned by conservation groups shows a clear majority of Oregonians favor non-le- thal means of deterring wolves from attacking livestock and don’t believe the state should allow sport hunting of wolves. The results come as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is re- viewing its wolf management plan, a work in progress that in 2015 saw the ODFW Commission remove wolves from the state’s endangered species list. Conservation groups such as Ore- gon Wild, Cascadia Wildlands and the Center for Biological Diversity believe the state acted hastily and maintain the wolf population is too fragile for delis- ting or allowing hunting. The commission began the review work earlier this month at a pub- Courtesy of Oregon State Police lic meeting in La Grande, Ore. Even A state trooper shows a bull elk shot dead and left to waste in Douglas County, the though the commission wasn’t sched- second case of elk poaching in the county in October. Conservation groups opposed uled to take action during the meeting, to hunting wolves say poachers are a far greater threat to Oregon’s elk and deer. 54 people showed up to testify. ODFW staff will present a draft plan to the healthy deer and elk populations serve ewes and two lambs, according to the commission in December. as a buffer between livestock and Ore- report. Among the poll highlights: gon’s predators, which include 25,000 The state conducted 33 livestock • 74 percent of respondents favor to 30,00 bears, an estimated 6,200 cou- “depredation” investigations in ive compensating ranchers for livestock gars and wolves, which have grown counties during 2015. Nine were con- losses, as is now done. from 14 in 2009 to more than 100 in irmed as wolf attacks; two were listed • 72 percent approve of killing 2015. as probable; 13 were categorized as wolves responsible for repeated live- The survey also probed some mis- possible or unknown; and eight were stock attacks. conceptions. Presented a range of zero considered “other” incidents. • Almost 82 percent believe poach- to more than 1,000, respondents were The poll was commissioned by the ers pose a greater threat to Oregon’s asked how many cattle were killed by Paciic Wolf Coalition and was con- deer and elk populations than wolves. Oregon wolves in 2015. Among Port- ducted Sept. 20-22 by Mason-Dixon Rural residents were strongest in that land-area residents, 29 percent thought Polling & Research Inc. of Washing- belief, nearly 88 percent. Oregon State the number was 100 to 999. ton, D.C. Police this week reported two cases of Informed in a follow-up question The company conducted telephone poachers shooting bull elk. that only four cows were killed in interviews with 800 registered Oregon • 67 percent oppose hunting wolves 2015, 67 percent of those surveyed voters who were selected at random as a means to protect deer and elk, and said wolves do not pose an economic from voter registration iles. Respons- 72 percent oppose “trophy hunting” of threat to the cattle industry. es were broken down by age, sex, po- wolves. Oregon ranchers, however, have litical party afiliation, and residence: The issue of hunting wolves is like- always maintained that far more cat- Rural, Willamette Valley and Portland ly to come up as the ODFW Commis- tle are killed by wolves than are con- metro area. sion reviews the management plan. irmed by ODFW investigators. They Mason-Dixon estimated the poll’s Hunting groups are concerned about say grazing cattle sometimes simply margin of error at plus or minus game population; others point out that disappear. 3.5 percentage points. The website Oregon allows hunting of cougars, an- The state’s annual wolf report list- FiveThirtyEight, which analyzes opin- other predator that takes deer and elk. ed three calves killed and two others ion polls, in 2016 gave Mason-Dixon a In 2015, a retired ODFW wildlife injured by wolves in 2015. Wolves B+ for accuracy in its political polling biologists told the Capital Press that also killed a herd guard dog, eight work. 43-1/#6 FFA honors board member for going ‘extra mile’ ROP-43-3-1/#4