KTVU Channel 2 and The Trust for Public Land Open Online Public Voting For Cox Conserves Heroes

The Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero will receive $5,000 for environmental nonprofit of choice

San Francisco

November 16, 2009 – KTVU Channel 2 and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced that online public voting is now open to determine the Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero. The finalist who receives the most votes will be honored with a $5,000 cash donation to the environmental non-profit of his or her choice.

Voting concludes at 5:00 p.m. PCT on Dec. 7. The Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero will be announced in mid-December.

Video vignettes, produced by KTVU and featuring the finalists and their conservation projects, will help voters learn more about each individual. To vote, go to www.ktvu.com/community.

“The Bay Area is renowned for its environmentally-minded residents, so it’s no surprise the judges struggled to choose the five finalists,” said Sam Hodder, The Trust for Public Land’s California state director. “There is such good work being done by so many dedicated people. We salute these individuals, and share their wonderful stories with the hope that they will inspire more people to get involved in everyday conservation.”

Finalists include (environmental nonprofit of choice):

• Barbara Newcombe (Friends of Cleveland Cascade)
• Craig Dawson (Nature in the City)
• Dawn Hawk (Friends of Bella Vista Park)
• John Powers (Many Lightings)
• Lennie Roberts (Committee for Green Foothills)

Nominations reflected a wide variety of conservation and educational programs by impressive community volunteers. The finalists were selected by a Judging Circle of local environmental leaders, including:

• Bettina Ring, executive director, Bay Area Open Space Council
• Bridget Luther, director, California Department of Conservation
• Diane Richards, marketing communications manager, The Trust for Public Land
• Linda Hunter, executive director, The Watershed Project
• Rosy Chu, community affairs director, KTVU

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between TPL and KTVU’s parent company, Cox Enterprises (a leading communications, media and automotive services company). The program celebrates and honors local conservation in communities across the country.

The partnership stems from Cox Enterprises’ national Cox Conserves program designed to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2017 and promote eco-friendly behavior among its employees, communities and other corporations. To date, the program has launched in Atlanta, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

Media Contacts:

Tim Ahern, The Trust for Public Land (415) 495-4014

Jeff Holub, KTVU, (510) 874-0542

Elizabeth Halter, Cox Enterprises, (678) 645-0762

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About KTVU Channel 2

Part of Cox Media Group, KTVU Channel 2 (a FOX affiliate) serves the entire San Francisco Bay Area and is located in Oakland, Calif. Cox Media Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises, is an integrated broadcasting, publishing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps. With revenues exceeding $1.5 billion, the company operations include 15 broadcast television stations and 1 local cable channel, 86 radio stations, four metro newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services.

About The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 2.8 million acres of land nationwide, including 362,000 acres in California. TPL has helped states and communities craft and pass over 330 ballot measures, generating $25 billion in new conservation-related funding. www.tpl.org