SEATTLE, April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KIRO 7, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, is seeking nominations for environmental volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. Nominations for Western Washington's 2016 Cox Conserves Hero are being accepted at http://www.kiro7.com/heroes through May 6.

Judging panels, comprised of local civic and environmental leaders, will select three finalists who will then compete to be named Western Washington's 2016 Cox Conserves Hero. The winner, chosen through an online public vote, will receive $10,000 to donate to his or her selected environmental nonprofit beneficiary. The two finalists each will receive $5,000 for their nonprofits of choice.

Program Timeline:

• Nominations: Now – May 6
• Voting: July
• Winner Announcement: August

Nominee activities must be performed on a volunteer basis and may not be part of an individual's employment.

As either a finalist or winner's nonprofit of choice, the following Washington organizations have received financial support from the Cox Conserves Heroes program: EarthCorps, Forest Fire, Lookout Association – Western Washington, Greater Metro Parks Foundation, Green Tacoma Partnership, King Conservation District, Metro Parks of Tacoma, North Olympic Land Trust, Northwest Trek Foundation, Sustainable West Seattle, Washington Wilderness Coalition and WSU Island County Beach Watchers.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of KIRO 7. Through the national Cox Conserves Heroes program, more than $600,000 has been donated to environmental nonprofits and more than 150 volunteers have been honored. The program also takes place in Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Virginia.

About KIRO 7:
KIRO 7 is part of Cox Media Group, an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings. The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 60 radio stations, six daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners. For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.com.

About The Trust for Public Land:
The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come.  Millions of people live within a one-half mile walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.  To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit http://www.tpl.org.

About Cox Conserves:
Launched in 2007 by Chairman Jim Kennedy, Cox Conserves is Cox Enterprises' national sustainability program. Cox Conserves focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 55,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

SOURCE Cox Enterprises