SF Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero Announced

SAN FRANCISCO 12/17/2009: KTVU Channel 2 and The Trust for Public Land (TPL) announced that Lennie Roberts was chosen as the San Francisco Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero. Roberts was nominated for the program, selected as a finalist by local environmental leaders and ultimately named as the Hero after receiving the most votes in an online public poll. Roberts has selected Committee for Green Foothills to receive the $5,000 award.

Roberts has volunteered thousands of hours toward natural resource preservation over a span of 50 years. She worked to protect the natural beauty of and public access to Edgewood Park, the Peninsula Watershed and San Bruno Mountains by successfully lobbying for power lines to be routed underground rather than criss-crossing the land.

“The Devil’s Slide tunnel project was a wonderful outcome,” said Roberts. “We saved the state park, and we saved the mountain from being scarred permanently. And, we have a road that is safe. It’s about protecting the land and leaving something for the next generation.”

Roberts was named the Bay Area’s 2009 Cox Conserves Hero at a luncheon held at and sponsored by the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The finalists included: Barbara Newcombe, Craig Dawson, Dawn Hawk and John Powers. Profiles of each can be viewed at www.CoxConservesHeroes.com.

“The San Francisco Bay Area finalists have accomplished noble and rewarding deeds. I’m gratified by how often someone in our community takes up the mantle to organize for a landscape, to overcome a threat to a beloved natural area, to gather neighbors to act on behalf of a place near and dear to our hearts,” says TPL’s President, Will Rogers.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between TPL and Cox Enterprises, a leading communications, media and automotive services company. The program seeks to celebrate local conservation in communities across the country. To date, the program has launched in Atlanta, San Diego, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Additional markets will be added in 2010.

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.

Sir Francis Drake Hotel
Perfectly located in the heart of Union Square and just steps from world-class shopping and dining-the legendary Sir Francis Drake Hotel offers the perfect home away from home whether traveling for business or pleasure. The hotel continues to exude the sophistication, elegance and charm it did when it opened its doors in 1928. The legendary property has always been ahead of its time and continues this tradition, keeping up with the latest trends in the industry and always offering the highest level of service possible. The recent enhancements in the hotel guestrooms and public spaces reflect a more contemporary look and feel which perfectly compliment the traditional elements and original architecture of the property. The Drake offers a variety of dining and entertainment options including the award-winning Scala’s Bistro, Harry Denton’s Starlight Room and Bar Drake, centrally located in the lobby. The Drake’s celebrated doormen in their customary Beefeater uniforms are one of the most photographed spectacles in San Francisco and always happy to lend a hand. The Sir Francis Drake Hotel is located at 450 Powell Street, San Francisco, California 94102. The property is a member of the Kimpton family of boutique hotels and chef-driven destination restaurants.

About Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues exceeding $15 billion and more than 66,000 employees, the company’s major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products); Cox Media Group, Inc. (television stations, digital media, newspapers, advertising sales rep firms and Cox Radio, Inc.); and AutoTrader.com (online automotive classifieds and related publications). Additionally, Cox’s Internet operations include Kudzu.com and Adify Corporation, a unit of Cox TMI, Inc.