The General Chairman of this first "Vertebrate Pest Control Conference" introduces the philosophy of vertebrate pest control and the need for sharing information on this topic, including publication of a Proceedings that will serve as a handbook on method for controlling non-game vertebrates in North America that at times become pests. The term "vertebrate pest" is defined, and the author emphasizes the value of artificial regulation of the density of many species of vertebrate animals as being common sense, and also as good conservation of natural resources.