SAN DIEGO, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications y The Trust for Public Land announced Megan Chang-Haines, Michael McCoy and Sally Nelson as the finalists for San Diego's fourth annual Cox Conserves Heroes program.

The winner will be chosen through an online vote, which is open to the public through Sept. 10 at CoxConservesHeroes.com.

Sponsored locally by Think Blue San Diego and radio partners KYXY 96.5 y Energy 103.7 FM, Cox Conserves Heroes honors volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces.

Megan Chang-Haines and her sister, Kimberly, co-founded a volunteer organization, New Ocean Blue, in response to the crisis of plastic marine debris on San Diego beaches. Chang-Haines coordinates beach clean-ups and conducts workshops on turning beach trash into art. Her nonprofit of choice is New Ocean Blue.

Michael McCoy campaigned and helped secure funds for rehabilitation and maintenance of the Tijuana Estuary Reserve. He uses his expertise as a biologic researcher and veterinarian to be an environmental advocate and a leader in conservation efforts.  His nonprofit of choice is Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association.

Sally Nelson helped raise more than $20,000 for the San Diego River Field Station.  She is a founding volunteer of the Park Patrol and the Gate Keeper programs that help keep the San Diego Riverbed, trail and community safe.  Her nonprofit of choice is Lakeside's River Park Conservancy.

Awards:

• Cox Conserves Hero: The winner's nonprofit of choice will receive $5,000, promotion through on-air public service announcements, and 20 volunteer hours donated by Cox employees.

• Second Place: The finalist's nonprofit of choice will receive $2,500 and promotion through on-air public service announcements.

• Third Place: The finalist's nonprofit of choice will receive $1,000 and promotion through on-air public service announcements.

The following San Diego environmental nonprofit organizations are past beneficiaries of the Cox Conserves Heroes program:  Alpine Ranch Creative Health and Ecological Solutions (A.R.C.H.E.S.); Aquatic Adventures Science Education Foundation; Chula Vista High School Peace Club; Chula Vista Nature Center (now named Living Coast Discovery Center); Endangered Habitats Conservancy; Friends of Balboa Park; Grow Strong; Move San Diego; Ocean Discovery Institute; Preserve Calavera; San Diego Canyonlands; San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy; Surfrider Foundation of San Diego; The Anza Borrego Foundation; Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve; y Wildcoast.

Para más información, visita  CoxConservesHeroes.com or find us on Facebook.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

About Cox Conserves
The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and natural areas, and Cox Enterprises, a leading communications, media and automotive services company. The program takes place in Atlanta, Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Seattle and Virginia.

About The Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has completed 5,200 park and conservation projects, conserved more than 3 million acres, and helped generate $33 billion in state and local conservation funding. www.tpl.org.

About Think Blue San Diego
Think Blue is the City of San Diego's award winning Storm Water outreach program. Started in 1999 as part of the Clean Water Task Force, Think Blue provides education to residents, businesses and visitors about steps that they can take to prevent storm drain pollution, and protect our local waterways in San Diego. When it rains or when water flows out of yards, water that enters the storm drain system flows directly into our creeks, rivers, bays, beaches and ultimately the ocean. The water that enters the storm drain system is untreated because the City storm drain system and sewer system are NOT connected. Contaminants that flow into the storm drain, such as pesticides, pet waste, trash and automobile fluids, are harmful to our health and can impact local marine life. Think Blue encourages everyone to help prevent pollution by adopting a few simple practices. To learn how, please visit http://www.thinkblue.org/.

SOURCE Cox Communications