EAST PEORIA, Ill. — A University of Illinois (UOI) Extension educator from East Peoria, Robert Frazee, has received the 2006 Campus Award for Excellence in Public Engagement.

Frazee, whose area of expertise is natural resources management, was elected for the honor by a group of his peers.

Working with farmers, elected officials, organizations and other agencies, Frazee addresses issues impacting soil and water conservation, no-till management, surface and groundwater quality, stream bank erosion and management of the Illinois River System.

“I am very honored to be the recipient of the University of Illinois Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement for providing leadership to the organization of 10 Governor’s Conferences on the Management of the Illinois River System,” Frazee said.

“In reality, this is a team award, as these conferences would not have been organized without the excellent involvement and cooperation of the Conference Planning Committees, consisting of dozens of representatives of local, state and federal agencies and organizations. The good news is that over the past twenty years, these conferences have not just met for the sake of holding a conference, but rather have resulted in significant improvements to the entire Illinois River Watershed.”

Besides being credited for nurturing the forum on the management of the Illinois River System, Frazee has helped develop working coalitions among local, state and federal agencies, provided leadership in the application of conservation practices to the watershed, developed river and watershed legislation and helped generate funding to support conservation projects. Frazee’s career has spanned more than 34 years.

Frazee holds a B.S. Degree in Agronomy from Western Illinois University at Macomb, and a M.S. Degree in Agronomy from the University of Illinois. He has authored numerous articles for professional journals and farm newspapers.

He was presented the USDA Superior Service Award in Washington, D.C., by Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy for outstanding leadership and innovative programming.

Frazee is affiliated with the UOI Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He is a Certified Professional Agronomist with the American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops and Soils. Frazee and his wife, Alice Ann, reside in Henry.

This Illinois farm news was published in the Oct. 25, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.