OREANDA-NEWS. WFTV Channel 9, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, is seeking nominations for Central Florida's 2016 Cox Conserves Heroes program.

Nominations are being accepted through June 29 at www.9family.com for volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. Nominee activities must be performed on a volunteer basis and may not be part of an individual's paid job.

A total of $20,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the winner and finalists. A judging panel of civic and environmental leaders will select three finalists who will then compete to be named Central Florida's 2016 Cox Conserves Hero. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote, which will take place in August.

Volunteers in the following counties are eligible: Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia.

Types of volunteer activities considered include:

  • Advocating or educating the importance of parks and open space 
  • Beautifying a public place
  • Creating community gardens
  • Connecting people with nature
  • Donating and/or assisting in the acquisition of land for public use
  • Helping provide public access to a previously inaccessible place
  • Volunteering at a local park
  • Water conservation/protection-related projects

Chuck O'Neal was named Central Florida's 2015 Cox Conserves Hero.

The national Cox Conserves Heroes program was created in 2008 through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of WFTV Channel 9. The partnership stems from Cox Enterprises' national Cox Conserves sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, conserving water and inspiring eco-friendly behavior.

About WFTV Channel 9:
Part of Cox Media Group, WFTV Channel 9 is an ABC affiliate serving Central Florida. Cox Media Group is 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.