University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Water Resources Center
Abstract
This project assessed on an ex post facto basis selected impacts upon families and individuals due to the land acquisition program associated with the construction of the Shelbyville Reservoir in east-central Illinois begun in 1962. Research focused on Okaw Township, which borders Lake Shelbyville to the west in Shelby County. The in-depth, individual and family case studies indicated that farm family businesses are not the products of a single generation, or a single family. They are intimately tied to the intergenerational land transfer process which occurs among interconnected families living in close proximity. Thus, the time perspective in examining changes brought about by land acquisition and relocation must be extended on the generational level if the full range of impacts on the local cultural ecology is to be represented. Areawide changes in the availability and price of land made the difficult task of reestablishing a family farm even harder for selected families. The Corps' land acquisition policies in 1962 did not consider the generations involved in the establishment of family farms. Furthermore, local residents were critical of the Corps' policies and personnel during the land acquisition process. That historical complaint summarized by the quote, "the Corps is not a good neighbor," has even today hindered the Corps' ability to manage its relations with area residents and local government units. An understanding of the personal and family lifecycle perspectives on local cultural ecology, coupled with an appreciation of the degree to which rural social processes are bound in time, can strengthen State of Illinois comprehensive planning, decision-making, and review procedures for water and related resource development.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe
