SEATTLE, April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- KIRO 7, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land (TPL),  is seeking nominations for Western Washington's fourth annual Cox Conserves Heroes program. Nominations are being accepted at kirotv.com/heroes  through 5 p.m. PT on April 27.

The program recognizes volunteers who are helping to create, preserve or enhance our shared outdoor spaces. A total of $15,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the finalists.

A judging panel comprised of local civic and environmental leaders will select three finalists who will then compete to be named Western Washington's 2012 Cox Conserves Hero. The winner, chosen through an online public vote, will receive $10,000 to donate to his or her selected nonprofit beneficiary. The runners-up will each receive $2,500 for their nonprofits of choice.

Nominee activities must be done on a volunteer basis and may not be part of one's paid job.

This is the fourth year the Cox Conserves Heroes program has run in Western Washington. Jan Holmes, Gary Colley and Mike Town are previous recipients of Western Washington's Cox Conserves Heroes award.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between TPL and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of KIRO 7, to honor everyday conservationists. The program also runs in Arizona, Atlanta, San Francisco, Southern California and Virginia. Nearly $200,000 has been donated to local nonprofits through the Cox Conserves Heroes program.

For more information, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com or find us on Facebook.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

About KIRO:

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News is a Cox Media Group station and CBS affiliate serving Western Washington.

Cox Media Group is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of Cox Reps. Additionally, CMG owns and operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies.  With $1.7 billion in revenue, the company operations include 15 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 86 radio stations, eight daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services.  CMG operates in more than 30 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including 30 million TV viewers, more than 4 million print and online newspaper readers, and 18 million radio listeners. 

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 completed 4,250 land conservation projects in 47 states, protecting 3 million acres, including more than 80,000 acres throughout Washington State. TPL has helped states and communities craft and pass more than 380 ballot measures, generating $34 billion in new conservation-related funding.

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, AutoTrader.com and Cox Media Group) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

SOURCE Cox Conserves