The idea of having a society that encompasses all vertebrates was first conceived in 2005; it wasn't until 2006 that the actual planning took place. Mesoamerica was once the most biological diverse places in the world. Before humans arrived here, we had Lions (Panthera leo atrox) that was larger than the African Lions, we had Ground Sloths the size of elephants. All that is gone now, but what remains are still a large diverse collection of vertebrates. Many societies promote animals, and all of them use the word "conservation." Its one of the most used words in the animal field today; but does the public really understand the word and what it really encompasses? Do they really see the connection between humans and other vertebrates? We feel that a strong connection must be made, before conservation becomes culture.

Our primary goal is to make a connection between people and the other 57,738 described species of vertebrates. We will attempt to make this connection by teaching natural history and how it related to humans. In addition to teaching the public; we also survey, study and monitor U.S. Vertebrate Fauna. One of the tool that will help us accomplish this goal will be creating an online field guide to the vertebrates of the United States. When we first started, we set our sights on an online field guide of Texas Vertebrates, but things change and dreams get bigger. We now aim for an online guide to the Verterbrates of the United States.

Blair Society’s founders met in Dr. David W. Hall’s courses at the University of Texas. His teaching methods and dedication to his students inspired many of us to continue the lifestyle that is VNH. Our enjoyment of the course lead to the creation of this society. We hope to promote the idea of being a Verter, rather than a Birder or a Herper. We would like to turn Birders into Herpers and Herpers into Birders.

Mike Cong (mcong@blairsociety.com)

Monica Fowlds