OREANDA-NEWS. Cox Communications and The Trust for Public Land are recognizing volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing shared outdoor spaces. Finalists for Virginia's Cox Conserves Heroes program were announced today, and the public is being asked to vote now through June 17th. To vote, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com and select the Virginia area.

A total of $20,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the three finalists, who were selected to represent the Fairfax County/Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads and Roanoke areas and compete for Virginia's Cox Conserves Hero title.

Finalists have already secured a $5,000 donation for their environmental nonprofits of choice and are now competing for an additional $5,000 – bringing the total award to $10,000 for the winner's nonprofit of choice. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote.

Virginia's 2016 Cox Conserves Heroes Finalists
Fairfax County/Fredericksburg: Alan Ford is passionate about the environment and local habitats. He educates the public about native and invasive plants and the importance of watershed management. Ford has volunteered thousands of hours across multiple environmental organizations to protect and restore the environment. His environmental nonprofit of choice is the Potowmack Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society.

Hampton Roads: Bonnie Kersta travels the span of Virginia's coastline to promote oyster gardening. Oysters are one of the Bay's best natural filters, and Kersta is restoring their declining population and planting underwater grasses. She also removes litter along the Bay's shores. Her work creates fish habitats, improves water quality and protects the shoreline. Her environmental nonprofit of choice is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Roanoke: Ron McCorkle is creating healthier lifestyles through his passion for urban agriculture and cycling. He successfully advocated for Roanoke's public park space to be used for urban agriculture. McCorkle's efforts to increase greenway connectivity helped Roanoke obtain the coveted designation of "Bicycle Friendly Community" from the League of American Bicyclists. His environmental nonprofit of choice is the Roanoke Community Garden Association.

Heidi Ketler, Brian Batteiger, Bill Gordge, Anne Little and Chris Clifford are previous recipients of Virginia's Cox Conserves Heroes award. 

As either a finalist or winner's nonprofit of choice, the following Virginia organizations have also received financial support from the Cox Conserves Heroes program: Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, Downtown Greens Friends of Green Spring Gardens, Friends of Norfolk's Environment, Herndon Environmental Network, Lynnhaven River Now, Newport News Green Foundation, Park Partners, Pathfinders for Greenways, Roanoke Valley Chapter of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, South Norfolk Neighborhood Watch, Tree Fredericksburg,  Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission, Virginia Beach Parks, VB Clean Community Volunteers and Recreation Foundation and Virginia Living Museum.  

Cox Conserves Heroes was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, to honor local environmental volunteers. 

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. Cox Conserves Heroes also takes place in Arizona, California, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Washington.