Friday, April 17, 2009 8:16 PM CDT
New DNR chief learned love of outdoors growing up in Mattoon
By JASON NEVEL, JG/T-C Springfield Bureau
SPRINGFIELD — Fishing at a farm pond just south of Mattoon in 1980, 11-year-old Marc Miller reeled in what later would become his favorite wall ornament at his Illinois Department of Natural Resources office in Springfield.
The newly appointed agency director hooked a seven-pound largemouth bass on that frigid October day. Unbeknownst to Miller, his parents, Larry and Susan, had the fish mounted and placed it under the Christmas tree as a gift for the sparky youngster.
Miller has kept the stuffed fish with him ever since. Not only does it trigger a nostalgic memory of fishing with his dad, but it reminds the avid outdoorsman to appreciate the beauty of nature.
“It’s been ingrained in me from the start,” Miller said. “Stewardship of creation is a responsibility that we all have to do.”
Miller’s parents still reside in Mattoon. His wife Deborah is from Urbana.
When Gov. Pat Quinn took over for Rod Blagojevich, he said he wanted a true natural resources person to head DNR instead of a former lawmaker. That’s what he got with Miller. The 40-year old hunter and fisherman has been involved in conservation for more than 15 years.
Miller awaits confirmation by the Illinois Senate before his job becomes permanent. So far, there hasn’t been much outcry opposing Miller’s nomination, especially compared to Quinn’s controversial pick to lead the Illinois State Police, 29-year-old Jonathon Monken.
If he’s confirmed, conserving the department he now heads could be one of his most daunting tasks. Managing a depleted budget, implementing unpopular proposed fee increases and improving the morale of a staff that has been stymied in the past by an ousted governor are a few examples of issues on Miller’s plate.
“There really is a need to rebuild, starting with the morale of the people at DNR,” said Virginia Scott, former executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “It was like an orphan stepchild department.”
The tough challenges ahead, however, are trumped by Miller’s love of the outdoors.
He says that love can be traced back to his days growing up in Mattoon.
Unlike some families, the Millers didn’t travel to Florida or some other warm southern state for vacation. Rather, a short road trip to Lake Shelbyville, or if lucky, a jaunt across the Illinois border to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana.
“Our vacations as a child were stay-cations,” Miller said. “We did a lot of fishing and camping.”
At Mattoon High School, Miller began using the leadership skills he uses today as DNR director. The teenager became involved with student council, eventually earning the pedigree of school and district president. After high school, Miller stayed close to home and attended Eastern Illinois University.
Scott met Miller when he was a student at Eastern and later worked with him at the Illinois Environmental Council after he graduated with a degree in political science. She said Miller was one of those students who stood out among his peers.
“It was clear to me that Marc had the interest and the ambition to pursue environmental work,” Scott said.
Miller then attended graduate school at Sangamon State University (now University of Illinois at Springfield) and earned a master’s degree in Environmental Administration.
After college, Miller accepted an unpaid internship in Atlanta with CNN. He would later move onto several jobs in the ecological field including work as an environmental compliance specialist with Kal Kan Foods and a watershed organizer for the Prairie Rivers Network.
It was his efforts as a watershed organizer that introduced him to then-Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn.
“We got into a 30-minute long policy discussion that I don’t think very many people could have,” Miller said of Quinn. “I think we were both sold at that point.”
He was named senior policy adviser and liaison to the Illinois River Coordinating Council in 2004, which was headed by Quinn. During that time, Quinn expressed to Miller the need for a natural resources professional at DNR — a position perfect for the ardent fisherman.
Blagojevich was removed from office Jan. 29. Quinn took over and a week later he named Miller director.
“Marc Miller is an expert in managing and protecting our state’s precious natural resources and will run a very professional agency,” Quinn said.
He says he has three major goals for the department. One, restore faith in the agency. Two, engage children and urge them to take pleasure in the outdoors. Three, ensure public access for recreational opportunities.
It may be formidable challenge but the outdoorsman has reeled in feistier opponents at the fishing hole in Mattoon.
The fish mounted on his office wall is proof of that.
Jason Nevel can be reached at jason.nevel@lee.net or 789-0865
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Cornfed&Cornbread wrote on Apr 17, 2009 10:38 PM: