Libby native returns to head DNRC office
by Kootenai Valley Record
September 12, 2010
Libby native Mark Peck has returned home to take on a new job as manager of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Libby unit.
"I’m retired military," Peck said. "I’ve served all over the world, and I couldn’t wait to get here. It’s kind of an honor to come back."
Peck grew up in Libby and went on to a career with the U.S. Air Force. After retiring from the service, he worked as Flathead County’s director of emergency services for the past four years.
As head of DNRC’s Libby unit, based along Fisher River Road near Highway 37, Peck is responsible for managing around 50,000 acres of Montana School Trust lands. DNRC is required under state law to conduct timber sales in such a manner as to maximize the return for Montana’s schools, which Peck acknowledged sometimes raises hackles when the low bidder for a project is a firm from outside the state.
With no mills left in Lincoln County that can take on state timber sales, recent logging jobs have been going to Idaho. Lower worker compensation costs also give an advantage to Idaho loggers, Peck noted.
The issue is a concern for Peck, whose father and uncles worked for J. Neils and St. Regis in Libby during the heyday of the local timber industry.
"I don’t know what the answer is, but I know what the answer isn’t and that’s to do nothing," Peck said.
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Editor’s Note: See the September 7, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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