The peripatetic Amy Peterson did a great job of telling us about her personal history. Her 6 years in River Falls are the longest she’s lived anywhere as an adult. Let’s hope there are many more years for her and Dan in River Falls.
While Amy’s Wisconsin roots are deep, her career has taken her around the Midwest. Early years in Rhinelander and Wausau. During her college years at UW Stevens Point, a course on conservation was key in charting her career direction.
Amy worked for the US Forest Service in the UP of Michigan as well as the Mo Department of Conservation. During a time in St. Louis, she met Dan, her now husband. Dan works for the National Park Service, including a stint at the Herbert Hoover site in Iowa, which was another career stop for Amy.
A job move north for both Amy and Dan netted Master’s degrees for both at UM Duluth, with Amy’s having a concentration on planning. She told us that another career stop – at La Crosse, WI -- was a great place to further her knowledge and skills in municipal planning. While their jobs have sometimes resulted in living far apart, they are together in River Falls now that Dan has moved here as of June 2020. He works at the St Croix National Scenic Riverway north of us –within commuting distance.
Speaking about her current job, Amy noted that the city comprehensive plan guides the future direction of the city. Work is underway on developing a new comprehensive plan. Bike and pedestrian and outdoor recreation plans are being rolled into the planning project.
Amy’s Interests outside of work include gardening and birding. Anyone who enjoys sunflowers should drive or walk up Golf View Drive in summer months to check out the amazing sunflowers. In response to questions, Amy said that Crater Lakes is her favorite national park and owls are her favorite birds.