Peters To Oversee Conservation Program

By Bob Harrington, bharrington@miconews.com

Mark Peters is the Miami County Conservation District program coordinator. He works part-time and began his duties March 1. (Photo by Bob Harrington)

A new face can be found behind the desk of the Miami County Conservation District program coordinator. It is that of Mark Peters, a retired Natural Resources Conservation Service technician.

Peters took over March 1 after Stacy Maimer-Johnson resigned. He plans to work two or three days a week as well as travel.

“I worked 31 years for the Soil Conservation Service/Natural Resources Conservation Service until retiring four years ago,” Peters said. “My first job was in Overbrook with the Wakarusa watershed office. Then I spent the majority of my career in Fredonia as the soil conservation technician. While there, I greatly enjoyed working with the landowners and assisting the conservation district with many education projects.”

Following his retirement, he sold real estate.

Born in Oklahoma, Peters moved to Kansas with his parents at an early age. He is a graduate of Smith Center High School and attended Kansas Wesleyan College in Salina. His father was a cotton share-cropper in Oklahoma before moving to Kansas and taking up ministry.

“Being back in the conservation office makes me realize how much I’ve missed being part of a team whose goal it is to help landowners conserve and improve our natural resources,” Peters said. “Of course one of our greatest natural resources is the children of Miami County, and we have several conservation programs scheduled already in the coming weeks.”

He also is involved with the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program, which allows landowners to enter a whole field into the program if it is 5 acres or less that aids wildlife, especially quail. He especially looks forward to assisting landowners in this practice.

Peters is married. The couple have two children.

“My wife, Pam, is a retired school nurse,” he said. “Our son’s family lives in Louisburg, and that had a lot to do with our move to Paola before the grandkids got much older. Our daughter’s family lives in Mesa, Ariz., so it’s nice being closer to the airport. Visiting in Miami County for the last few years, we have gotten quite familiar with the area.”

Working two or three days a week, landscaping his property in Heatherwoods Estate in Paola, visiting the children and grand- children and attending church will fill Peters’ time for the most part.

He urges landowners to contact him with any plan for the buffer program and enjoys working in conservation programs with youth.