CULTURE + ENTERTAINMENT
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Sneak Peek a butterfly garden Sometimes things in the universe align, and that’s what chief operating officer of the Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium Audrey Otto-Pepper says happened with the Sioux Falls Butterfly House & Aquarium and Great Plains Zoo . The Butterfly House & Aquarium board had been exploring ways to build a larger experience at the Sertoma Park location since adding aquariums in 2011. With annual attendance increasing from 45,000 to 90,000, the attraction needed more space to meet the interest in connecting with ocean animals in South Dakota. “The pandemic had forced us to reassess our aquarium expansion plan, and we began partnering with the zoo on a butterfly conservation project,” said Otto-Pepper. “By 2021, [president and CEO of the Great Plains Zoo] Becky Dewitz and I were discussing additional ways for our organizations to be stronger together through our similar missions.” Dewitz proposed building the aquarium experience at the zoo to reach more children and families as a combined unit.
WRITTEN BY alana snyder
AND PHOTOS BY john snyder
HOLIDAY ISSUE november 2026
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