Erin Dwyer of Presque Isle, a member of the Future Farmers of America, has been nominated to receive the "American FFA Degree" award at the 2004 national FFA conference in Louisville, Ky., later this month. She is the only Mainer selected for this honor.

Dwyer, a junior elementary education major at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, was chosen for the award as a result of her leadership and involvement in the community.

"I congratulate Erin on being nominated to receive the American FFA Degree - an honor rightly recognizing her dedication to her community in Presque Isle and to the Future Farmers of America," U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said in a recent press release. "Erin is an accomplished young leader, embodying the principles of the FFA through her agricultural studies and local activities."

To be eligible for the American FFA Degree, Dwyer worked 3,800 hours with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, primarily with an integrated pest management project.