San Diegan Phil Pryde Named the 2018 National Cox Conserves Hero

Cox Enterprises, parent company of Cox Communications, and The Trust for Public Land have named Phil Pryde, Ph.D. the 2018 National Cox Conserves Hero. As the winner of this award, Pryde’s nonprofit beneficiary of choice, The San Diego River Park Foundation, will receive $50,000. This is in addition to the $10,000 already awarded to the environmental nonprofit when Pryde was named the California Cox Conserves Hero earlier this year. Pryde won this national award through a public voting process among eight nominees from across the United States conducted on CoxConservesHeroes.com between Oct. 1–15, 2018. This year was also the first time a national winner was named.

“Phil has done a tremendous job not only volunteering with The San Diego River Park Foundation to keep our outdoor spaces protected, but he’s also dedicated many hours and years to helping educate our next generation of environmental stewards,” said Sam Attisha, Senior Vice President and Region Manager for Cox Communications in California. “San Diego is fortunate to have a treasure like Phil Pryde in our community and Cox Communications is proud to honor him and support the San Diego River Park Foundation’s environmental efforts.”

Pryde, who is a professor emeritus at San Diego State University where he taught courses in environmental policy, land use planning, and environmental impact analysis for 32 years, has also been involved with local conservation groups for 48 years. Pryde currently serves on the Board of Directors for The San Diego River Park Foundation and the Anza-Borrego Foundation. The San Diego River Park Foundation nominated Pryde for the 2018 award.

Pryde has shaped conservation work in the San Diego region in many ways, including preventing construction of dams on local rivers, supporting the creation of the county’s first USFS Wilderness Area, and helping make changes that allowed conservation groups to acquire or otherwise protect federal lands. Pryde’s work has resulted in conservation of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, has allowed waterways to run free, provided new recreation opportunities, and created greater access to nature in the region. While his fingertips are all over projects completed by leading conservation groups, he is equally happy leading students on a nature walk through wildflowers or teaching the next generation of conservationists in a college lecture hall. Pryde is also the author of “San Diego: An Introduction to the Region,” which describes the natural diversity of tide pools on the west to a portion of America’s driest desert on the east, with a spectacular 300-foot waterfall in between.

“I’m truly honored to accept this award,” said Pryde. “The San Diego River is an important part of the community here and you may be sure I’ll continue to help protect it. I want to thank Cox and the Trust for Public Land for their generosity. These funds will be put to good use by The San Diego River Park Foundation so that everyone can continue to enjoy the river.”

The Cox Conserves Heroes program is celebrating 10 years of recognizing community members who work tirelessly to create, preserve or enhance outdoor spaces. This year, the program honored standout environmental volunteers from local markets in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington. Winners from these markets were each awarded $10,000 to donate to their nonprofit of choice. These individuals then went on to compete in the program’s first-ever national competition, which ultimately crowned Pryde as the national award winner.

In partnership with The Trust for Public Land, the Cox Conserves Heroes program is part of Cox Enterprises’ national Cox Conserves™ sustainability program. Through the Cox Conserves Heroes program, the James M. Cox Foundation has donated $860,000 to environmental nonprofits across the United States and has honored more than 200 volunteers since the program’s launch a decade ago.

For more information, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com