PRESS RELEASE

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE ACTION FUND ENDORSES REPRESENTATIVE RAUL GRIJALVA IN HIS 2006 RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Washington D.C. -- The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund today publicly announced its endorsement of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-7th AZ) in his bid to retain his seat in the House.

"Rep. Grijalva is a formidable force in the House and has proven time and time again that he is willing to stand up for our natural heritage. Rep. Grijalva has shown he cares about protecting endangered species and keeping the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge free from drilling. He has been right there on the front lines fighting for our environment on many issues important to the conservation community. That is why we have named him one of only eight '2006 Wildlife Heroes' in the House," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund.

Rep. Grijalva has a 100 percent score in the Defenders Action Fund annual conservation report card. The report card measures the commitment of U.S. Senators and Representatives to wildlife and habitat conservation during each Congressional session. It reviews votes on key conservation issues, providing a clear assessment of how well members of Congress are doing to protect wildlife and wild lands for future generations. The report card is available at www.defendersactionfund.org.

"Raul Grijalva's one 100 percent score on the report card shows he has been a true champion for conservation. Year after year, he consistently casts votes in favor of protecting wildlife and preserving our wild lands," said Schlickeisen.

"From voting to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to opposing attempts to gut the Endangered Species Act, Rep. Grijalva has stood up to industry lobbyists and worked to protect our nation's wildlife treasures for future generations," concluded Schlickeisen.

To see a photo of Rep. Grijalva receiving his Wildlife Hero Award please visit: http://defendersactionfund.org/newsroom/heroes.html.