Big Sioux shutterbugs speak at Stewardship Summit
SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — People attending Thursday's Big Sioux Stewardship Summit in Sioux Falls focused attention on the natural beauty of the river.
The Big Sioux has long been an artistic inspiration to local photographers.
A scenic winter tour of Falls Park, courtesy of KELOLAND News Chief Photographer Kevin Kjergaard.
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'That was a day in the middle of January. I think I probably spent three days down there, early morning, because there's no people,' Kjergaard said.
Photographer Greg Latza also shared his pictures of the Falls with those attending the Big Sioux Stewarship Summit.
'Every now and then, you just get lucky with a purple sky like that. I've never really seen one quite like that since then,' Latza said.
Kjergaard found the Big Sioux's river otters camera shy, at first.
'The first day, they were scared. They ran away from me. The second day, they ran away from me. About the fourth day, they started getting used to me. I'm like a tree, they just go past me,' Kjergaard said.
Both photographers strive to avoid the trappings of civilization to focus on the natural splendor of the river and its wildlife.
'Falls Park is beautiful. But as you know, it's grown so much, it's really hard to capture that without observation decks, people trains, skyscrapers behind it now,' Kjergaard said.
Latza often uses drones to capture images of the river from on high.
'There's a lot of shots that I never even knew existed, like this. I never would have even known I could get a composition like that, until I got up in the air,' Latza said.
Both photographers say they hope their work will create a greater appreciation from the public about the natural beauty of the river and support future efforts to preserve this valuable resource, for generations to come.
'Getting these views of what things look like now and maybe striving to keep them that way and showing that they might have looked that way 100 years ago and you want them to still look that way 100 years from now,' Latza said.
Kjergaard credits improvements to the water quality of the Big Sioux for boosting wildlife numbers between Falls Park and the spillway on the north side of Sioux Falls.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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