ROYAL CITY - Columbia Basin farm water advocate Alice Parker was honored by the Family Farm Alliance with its John Keys III Memorial Award.

Parker, of Royal City, is the third recipient of the annual award.

She received the honor at the alliance's annual conference, according to Dan Keppen, of the alliance, on Monday.

Its namesake is Keyes, a former director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation who died in 2008.

Parker is the former executive secretary of the Columbia Basin Development League (CBDL), a group dedicated to completing the federal Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

The award "is intended to award those in the Western water arena who have demonstrated a creative and collaborative approach to solving challenges," stated Keppen.

Parker, a farm wife, was "selected partly because of her long-time efforts to advocate for the Columbia Basin agricultural interests, and in part because she and the Columbia Basin Development League have long supported the Family Farm Alliance," Keppen commented.

They thought presenting the award to Parker  would allow those outside Eastern Washington a "better appreciation" for her accomplishments, he stated.

"Alice's recent departure from the CBDL also provided good justification for letting her know how much we appreciated her service," Keppen comments.