Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

I am very pleased to be involved with wildlife damage management. Explaining why is what I hope to accomplish during this opening address for the 17th Vertebrate Pest Conference. The premise behind my remarks this morning is really quite simple. No matter what we choose to call it, working with vertebrate pests in a nuisance, damage, or human health or safety context is a "growth industry." We have opportunities and challenges not available to some segments of the wildlife management profession. As an Extension Wildlife Specialist, I have had the opportunity to interact with the public at many different levels over the past 18 years. That experience, plus more recent work with the Wildlife Society's Wildlife Damage Management Working Group (WDMWG), The National Animal Damage Control Association (NADCA), and the various wildlife damage conferences including the VPC, has allowed me to develop a list of opportunities and challenges for your consideration.