For the past nine years, Herpetological Conservation and Biology has operated as a ghost of modern, profit-driven, publishers and societies. Simply put, we did not exist. In 2006, we identified a need for a journal that would consider peer-reviewed manuscripts focused on applied ecology, biology, conservation, and even natural history (Bury et al. 2006). We then created an online journal and set about publishing. As with most successful endeavors, Herpetological Conservation and Biology has

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... acted quite a bit of attention, being at the forefront of a paradigm shift in academic publishing (e.g., Howard 2011; Fredette 2012). We have been approached several times to consider mergers with other journals, and even a long-established herpetological society. As a result, the Governing Board has discussed the future of our journal on several occasions. In the end, our only true vulnerability was our lack of legal standing; Herpetological Conservation and Biology simply did not exist, legally speaking.