By admin 
FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — Illegal camping in Arizona’s national forests is creating environmental damage, increasing wildfire risk and draining resources from local law enforcement.
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The issue gained recent attention after Mark Aaron Gatz was arrested last month following eight years of living in the Tonto National Forest.
A hiker photographed Gatz’s campsite in 2024 while hiking south of Strawberry and reported it to the Forest Service.
Court documents show that Forest Service officers had given Gatz multiple warnings before his arrest. One officer said in court documents that “there was roughly half an acre of resources ruined due to so much trash and goods on the ground for an extended period of time.” Gatz left behind approximately 1,000 pounds of trash.
Court documents in Gatz’s case show that he was using a 3-foot-tall fireplace constructed from rocks and clay and had frying pans on site. Stage 2 fire restrictions were in place at the time of his arrest, making an open flame illegal.
Jon Paxton, public information officer for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, said the office also deals with the dangers of illegal camping. He said the accumulated trash can also present additional fire hazards.
“When the waste starts building up, you’ve got batteries, you’ve got vehicle fluids,” Paxton said.
Paxton said illegal camping has been an issue for federal, state and local law enforcement for years, but worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“We’ve had task forces for years going back for quite a ways where we go out and do trash details,” he said. “We go out to enforce that and cite that.”
Paxton noted that people are permitted to live in national forests, but the law requires them to relocate to a different area after 14 days.
“There are people living out on the forest,” he said. “Some out of want and some out of necessity. There’s just rules that have to be followed by everybody, whether they’re a hunter, a recreator, or this is the way that they live.”
Flagstaff Police and the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office operate a Wood to Watch program, which allows people to report suspicious activity observed while recreating in the forest.
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