Lynn Moratzka recently completed her service as FMR’s Board Chairperson. She brings a wealth of experience and insight to the organization. From 1994 to 2006 she was on the City Council in Hastings, where she has lived for over 30 years. She recently retired from her position as the Director of the Dakota County Office of Planning where she oversaw the County’s planning for parks, the environment and transportation and the County’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. She was a member of the Mississippi River Commission which guided the establishment of the National Park Service — Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in the Twin Cities.

Education: Master of Arts in Public Administration (MAPA) from Hamline University.

Hobbies: Cross-country skiing, biking, kayaking, reading.

Interesting Book: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv.

Favorite Animal: Gray wolf. “They’re fascinating creatures.”

Last Memorable Vacation: Visiting New Orleans six months before Katrina.

“Going to New Orleans has always been a special trip for me. Coming from the Minneapolis/St. Paul region to New Orleans, you see the difference in the Mississippi River from top to bottom. While the Mississippi River is a working river in Minnesota, in New Orleans it operates as one of the world’s great ports. It is the ‘muddy Mississippi’ – not very clean. Yet prior to Katrina, people had worked hard to clean up the waterfront and bring people back to the river along the levees and Riverwalk. I hope I am able to go back soon to see how the city and its people have recovered.”

FMR Board member since: 1998

Board Committees: Executive, Development

Favorite Mississippi River place, experience or memory: My special place along the Mississippi River is Spring Lake Regional Park Reserve on the bluffs overlooking the river, not far from Hastings. “It has wonderful vistas from the bluffs that look up and down the river.”

Quote:

“Hastings as a city is at a critical point on the Mississippi River corridor for MNRRA. We’re the last city on the Mississippi on MNRRA before it continues on its journey. We are on the receiving end of things that happen upstream. I thought as one of the communities in the corridor, we needed a voice at the corridor table. So that’s why I got involved.”