Photo by Crystal Reed
MCHGS member Janet Roney with program presenters Brock Key and Makayla Tinker, both Natural Resource Specialists with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Shelbyville.

•March 22, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

Members of the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society and other attendees heard a presentation on Flora and Fauna 1963 to Present at Lake Shelbyville on the evening of Thursday, March 16. The program was presented by Brock Key and Makayla Tinker, both Natural Resources Specialists with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Shelbyville.
Key began by sharing a brief history of the lake. Lake Shelbyville was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938, and then World War II happened. Authorization was granted then from the Flood Control Act of 1958.
Work was started in 1963 and finished in 1970. The total cost at that time was $56 million which in today’s dollars is around $400 million. This included the relocation of utilities, highways, cemeteries, construction of the recreation areas and the Findlay bridge.
Key gave the big five which were five reasons why the lake was built. The main two are navigation on the Mississippi and flood control. The others are recreation, habitat sustainment and improvement and future water supply. Key then showed several photos of Lake Shelbyville prior to or during construction and asked members of the audience whether they knew where the photos were taken.
Tinker then went into combating invasive species. She noted that the problem with invasive species is that they adapt quickly and cause harm to natural plants and wildlife. The first ones she addressed were phragmites and reed canary grass. Read More

Photo furnished
Natalee Hunter (second from left) received second place in the high school film division of the Holocaust Art and Writing Contest. She traveled to California with former teacher Rebecca Lawson (far left) and her parents Nathan (second from right) and Lee Hunter (far right).

•March 15, 2023•
Natalee Hunter, a senior at Sullivan High School, received a second place award in the high school film division of the Holocaust Art and Writing Contest on March 10 in Orange, California.
The contest, sponsored by Chapman University and The 1939 Society (an organization for Holocaust survivors, their friends, and families), had 241 registered schools from the U.S., Canada, Poland, Romania, South Korea, India, South Africa, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, and Philippines. After the awards ceremony Hunter and other students in attendance had the opportunity to meet Holocaust survivors and their family members.
“This experience has been incredible, and I want to encourage any other high school or middle school students to look into competing in competitions like this one. It opened up a lot of doors for me along with providing an experience like none other,” noted Hunter. Read More