SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications y The Trust for Public Land announced Sally Nelson as San Diego's 2012 Cox Conserves Hero. 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.

Nelson was nominated for her volunteer work with the Park Patrol and the Gate Keeper programs that help keep the San Diego Riverbed trail and community safe. As the winner, Nelson's nonprofit of choice, Lakeside's River Park Conservancy, will receive $5,000, promotion through on-air public service announcements and 20 volunteer hours donated by Cox employees.

Second-place winner Michael McCoy's nonprofit of choice, Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association, which supports the Tijuana Estuary in South San Diego, will receive $2,500 and promotion through on-air public service announcements.

Third-place winner Megan Chang-Haines' nonprofit of choice, New Ocean Blue, which is focused on keeping plastics and other debris out of the ocean, 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.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, to honor everyday conservationists. The program also runs in Arizona, Atlanta, Orange County (Calif.), San Francisco, Santa Barbara (Calif.), Seattle and Virginia. Nearly $260,000 has been donated to local nonprofits through the Cox Conserves Heroes program.

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

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About Cox Conserves

Launched in 2007, Cox Conserves is the company's national sustainability program that seeks to reduce Cox Enterprises' energy consumption by embracing alternative forms of energy, conserving natural resources and inspiring eco-friendly behavior. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Media Group and AutoTrader.com) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

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