< Photo by Jean Bartlett of Lynn Adams It's a big deal to be nominated for the Cox Conserves Heroes Award.
The program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of KTVU, to honor everyday volunteers. Along with running in the San Francisco Bay Area, the program runs in Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Arizona, Louisiana, Virginia and Atlanta. Those nominated are someone who has "helped to create, protect and/or care for an outdoor place available for public relaxation, reflection or recreation by the community." In addition, this "eco-friendly" volunteer should be someone who inspires others to act.
From June 24 through July 22, communities from all over the Bay Area sent in the names of individuals who met the Cox Hero criteria. Immediately following, the Heroes Judging Circle, a panel of civic leaders within the conservation field, worked with the long line of nominees and whittled it down to three top Bay Area finalists. Pacifican Lynn Adams, President of the Pacifica Beach Coalition, is one of those three finalists.
Who is Lynn Adams? She's the person who posted a project idea in the Pacifica Tribune, right before Earth Day 2005. "Come pick up litter before it travels to the beach." One hundred and fifty volunteers arrived and subsequently removed 2,955 pounds of trash from three beaches and five inland parking lots and street areas. She posted the same project idea in 2006 and this time 350 arrived and hauled off 4,800 pounds of trash. In 2007, Adams spearheaded a community of 600 volunteers who removed 12,190 pounds of trash. She also took a course called "Be The Change," a course which offered insights on environmental justice, social justice, environmental issues and talking to the media.
In 2007, Adams became president of the 1997-founded Pacifica Beach Coalition, www.pacificabeachcoalition.org, creating one of the most organized, volunteer-driven Earth Day events in the Bay Area.
This past Earth Day, which now includes an Earth Day Environmental Festival, brought over 8,000 volunteers, who not only hauled off more than 16,000 pounds of trash and recycle, but they also worked on habitat restoration and gardening projects. In addition, the Adams led PBC, has brought world-renowned environmentalists such as scientist and activist Dr. Wallace "J." Nichols, Sea Turtle Restoration Project founder Dr. Chris Pincetich, and shark conservationist David McGuire to speak at the Pacifica Earth Day Environmental Festival. They have additionally introduced Earth Day to the schools with a myriad of lessons, speakers and projects.
Adams explained her commitment to people and the environment. "To learn what we can achieve together, to build community by working together and having a common purpose, engaging businesses, citizens, community groups, and schools, and neighboring towns and cities in one goal — this is what we are about, and we hope to inspire others to join us so together, we can make a better environment for us all."
Adams is the second Pacifican to be a finalist in the Cox Conserves Heroes Award. It was previously awarded in October of 2011 to Oceana High School senior Naftali Moed, who conceived and implemented the Oceana High School Garden. This is the award program's fifth year.
The final awards phase for the Cox Conserves Heroes Award consists of an online voting contest. Voting begins today, August 28, in the afternoon. The winner will receive $10,000 to donate to his or her selected nonprofit beneficiary. Adams said there are three big needs for the Pacifica Beach Coalition at this time, money to buy plants for the Linda Mar Beach planting, money to go towards Earth Day 2014 and money to go to an anti-tobacco litter campaign. Watch KTVU TV 2 today at noon for more details on the Cox Conserves Heroes Award and when the contest opens, vote for Lynn Adams at http://www.coxconservesheroes.com/san-francisco-bay-area/vote.aspx