COURTESY OF EXPERIENCE SIOUX FALLS
EVENTS
“I began writing articles because I was dissatisfied with news coverage regarding environmental issues,” explained the Aberdeen native. “I balanced work as both a writer and an activist through much of my career.” Cascades of the Big Sioux River traces the natural and cultural history of The Falls, and spotlights key local activists, including Hazel O’Connor , an early environmentalist who was distressed about the degradation of the river and Falls. She advocated for a cleaner river and a park at The Falls, and built a coalition of river supporters to make that happen. “Hazel and a handful of others were part of the rising environmental movement,” explained Carrels. “What that important movement accomplished in Sioux Falls and elsewhere deserves a revered place in the histories of our city, our state, and our nation.” Carrels describes himself as a beneficiary of the back-to-nature movement of the early 1970s. He and his college friends discovered the joy and value of connecting with nature, undertaking long backpacking treks in remote wilderness areas across the West. He later found other outlets for his desire to experience the natural world. “We can commune with nature wherever we can find it—state parks, city parks, an arboretum, a neighborhood, a backyard, a river like the Big Sioux,” said Carrels. “Rivers are seldom harmed by accident and never healed by magic. Citizens are learning that the condition of a river can be determined by choices, and those choices are based on social priorities and ideals.” PETER CARRELS IN CASCADES OF THE BIG SIOUX RIVER
PETER CARRELS
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