I am pleased to welcome you to the Fourth Vertebrate Pest Conference. This is our second Sacramento meeting. The first was in 1962 - eight years ago. It was an historic occasion. It was the first conference devoted exclusively to vertebrate pests. This conference is sponsored by the California Vertebrate Pest Committee comprised of representatives from the California Department of Agriculture, the University of California at Davis, Department of Animal Physiology and the Agricultural Extension Service; the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Division of Wildlife Services and of Wildlife Research, the California Departments of Public Health, Fish and Game, and Water Resources, and the California Association of County Agricultural Commissioners.