I just returned from an outing to obliterate some two-legged jackass tracks from one of my favorite outdoor spots -- a place Beatty residents call the "Cheese Holes."

I hauled a very full pickup load of garbage from the place, including pieces of wood and wall paneling, wire left from the burning of tires, bullet-riddled car and swamp cooler parts, and lot of cans and bottles (whole and broken).

The two-legged jackass is an abundant nuisance species that seems to favor fouling any available scenic area with its offal.

Judging by the bullet holes in everything and the shells and casings left at the scene, many of them appear to enjoy shooting guns. (I also found an abandoned National Rifle Association cap among the refuse.)

A common beverage of choice seems to be Budweiser. I don't quite know what to deduce from a very large, partially scorched rubber rat I found.

I did not manage to wipe out all signs of the varmints. There is still a lot of broken glass all over the area. But at least I got the bulky stuff.

A group of volunteers has been dealing with the same problem in the Amargosa River from the north end of town to the "Cottonwood Gallery" on the south.

On four Saturdays so far, they have removed many truckloads of the usual garbage left by the species, along with car parts, buckets of motor oil (some, of course, spilled), furniture, mattresses and even bottles filled with two-legged jackass urine (evidently left by truck-driving members of the species who park near the river just north of the Stagecoach).

The group is planning more clean-ups until the job is done. Pahrump Valley Disposal has donated the use of a large garbage bin, and Albert Verrilli will be lending the use of his backhoe.

A planned walking path along the riverbed could be a pleasure for locals and an attraction for tourists, and it could help prevent the listing of the Amargosa Toad as an endangered species.

First, however, we have to get the upper hand in eliminating the tracks of this offensive species along its route.

Those who would like to help should watch for flyers advertising the dates and times of the clean-ups or call Kay Tarr at 553-2423.