Threatened snakes vs developers: Who will win?

Developers or snakes? You decide. From the Kansas City Star:

Barely a half-foot long without a drop of venom, the redbelly snake hardly seems a threat. Unless you’re a developer or public official in Johnson County. Listed by Kansas as a threatened species, the reddish brown reptile with the orange belly is complicating growth in Johnson County. County leaders are reluctant to dip into taxpayers’ wallets to preserve a snake habitat disrupted by new development. So they are waging a battle with the seldom-seen snake that’s not much longer than a typical worm. They’re asking the Kansas Legislature to remove the redbelly and the comparable smooth earth snake from the state’s threatened species list.

Read more... Photo: Suzanne L. Collins/Kansas City Star