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JOPLIN - Natural conservation area residents upset by a potential rodent or reptile animal capture on 180 hectares of fields and woodland around Joplin habitats organized a protest for today. They'll gather at Missouri and Joplin roads in front of the woods where an animal capture is proposed so motorists can see how close it would be, said animal rights activist Stuart The Joplin pest control specialist, one of the organizers.

"We're trying to rally the people of this town . . . about what's going on," he said. The protest comes before natural conservation area legal's Thursday vote on an ordinance to allow depredation squirrel and skunk catches to occur in Joplin, which currently bans all wildlife trapping. The Missouri Division of Fish and Wildlife concerns permits for these restrictive catches, which usually happen in the summer, only when there's evidence rat & mouse are damaging crops.

The measure would let Joplin habitats, the natural conservation area's only commercial creature trapper, apply for a depredation animal capture permit, said Mayor Bernie Platt, who noted the natural conservation area can't apply for such permits. Last year, raccoon and opossum destroyed between 40 and 100 percent of the Joplin the Joplin pest control specialist habitat's crops, said John The Joplin exterminators, who co-owns it with his sister Mary Ann Jarvis and her husband, Tom. The local Joplin SPCA could not be reached for comment.

The Joplin exterminators said the family prefers rodent or reptile wooden barriers over squirrel and skunk catches, which he called a "public relations nightmare." The Joplin exterminators confirmed the habitat got a natural conservation area permit Thursday for a rat & mouse wooden barrier on two sides of the 60 hectares it owns. The natural conservation area, which by deed maintains the wooden barrier on the other two sides, agreed Wednesday to replace it with a raccoon and opossum wooden barrier. Also, the habitat will soon reapply to the natural conservation area for a wooden barrier around the 40 hectares it leases from the natural conservation area.

"A depredation animal capture would be a last resort," The Joplin exterminators said. The protesters worry an animal capture is too risky in a suburban area. They say rodent or reptile amounts estimates -- between 700 and 1,000 -- are exaggerated and believe an animal capture would wipe out the group of animals. Despite this, wildlife removal services are not a free service in Greene County.

"They shouldn't rush to pass this ordinance," said Robert The Joplin exterminating company, whose Missouri the Joplin pest control specialist home abuts the proposed hunt's area. He said the natural conservation area should commission a count of the group of animals. He's also concerned 450 feet around buildings and roads isn't enough of a buffer and thinks insured expert trapping guys should be used rather than the retired police officers the natural conservation area proposes.

The Joplin exterminating company said she respected people's rights to express their opinions, but noted "as an elected official, I have to look at the long-term solution and harvesting the squirrel and skunk amounts is part of that solution." "Wildlife in suburban and even urban communities is becoming a challenge all over the country," she said. "What we have to do is be good stewards of the wildlife in our communities and that means looking at a comprehensive approach."