NAMA CEO & FOUNDER CONTRIBUTES TO A BOOK CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT AND PRODUCES ARTIST COMPILATION CD TO BENEFIT & HONOR THE WOLF

New York, NY — Native American Music Awards & Association Founder and CEO, Ellen Bello, has recently contributed to a book entited, Wild Success: The Endangered Species Act at 40, celebrating 40 years of the Act and published by the Endangered Species Coalition. Never before has a such a wide range of authors written together about protecting threatened and endangered wildlife.

Bello is among other contributors which include conservation leaders as well as new voices for wildlife; actor Ed Begley Jr, Carter Roberts of the World Wildlife Fund, Jamie Rappaport of Defenders of Wildlife, Pulitzer Prize Winner Mary Oliver, Co-founder Save our Wild Salmon Pat Ford, CEO of Greenpeace Phil Radford, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, President & CEO The Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle, Explorer and Environmental Advocate Phillippe Cousteau, and the late President Richard Nixon who signed the Act in 1973.

By having a diverse range of voices in the book, the Endangered Species Coalition (http://www.endangered.org/) hopes to demonstrate that Americans from all walks of life care about endangered plants and animals while continuing to make an impact on the long-term protections of threatened and endangered species. This past November, the Endangered Species Coalition shared the book with important decision-makers at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC and honored Endangered Species Act heroes which included many members of Congress.

Bello's contribution expresses the close relationship Native American musicians hold with nature. She states, "When you look into the eyes of nature, there is an undeniable and inherent sense of strength, beauty, knowledge and skill. Those same senses are clearly honored and expressed by artists in both contemporary and traditional Native American music initiatives. Native American song is integrally linked with our natural surroundings and various animal species. " Bello closes by commending the Endangered Species Act and reminds us, "As humans, only we have the ability and power to protect our wildlife from facing extinction."

In addition to contributing to Wild Success, Bello has produced and compiled a special benefit CD entitled, WOLF, featuring songs from award-winning and nominated recording artists in honor the Gray Wolf which may become delisted as an endangered species given the recent proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to remove its protections.

WOLF features songs by; Jack Gladstone, The Gray Wolf Blues Band, Jimmy Lee Young, Joanne Shenandoah, Joe Firecrow, The PlentyWolf Singers, Jan Michael Looking Wolf, Bobby Bullet, Big City Indians, Painted Raven, Rushingwind & Mucklow, Silverwolf and many more including artist Cal Silverfox's own little set of howling wolf pups he's helping to raise which can be heard on the CD. The CD which aims to honor and protect the wolf, will be used as a fundraiser for wolf conservation efforts and advocacy.

The concept behind the CD was sparked when Bello was invited by the Endangered Species Coalition to contribute to their book and following a visit with Ambassador Wolf, Atka, at the NY Wolf Conservation Center  (http://www.nywolf.org/) who was recently featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

The WOLF CD is being released nationally on Thursday, January 16th or during a full Wolf Moon referred to by Native Peoples because wolves could be heard howling and echoing on the clear moon-lit snow covered nights of January.  The WOLF CD is available for purchase for $9.99 both in hard copies beginning January 16th  and is currently available as an instant download on the NAMA website, www.namalive.com or in hard copy plus shipping also on the site or by clicking here.   Wholesalers interested in carrying the CD should contact NAMA.

The NY Times has stated that Bello and the Native American Music Association "are devoted to bringing Native Amewrican music to the world's consciousness."

NAMA Founder & CEO Ellen Bello will be a featured guest on the nationally syndicated radio talk show, Native America Calling this Tuesday, January 14th.