Man found living in national forest surrounded by 1,000 pounds of trash: Officials
A man who had been living in an Arizona national forest for eight years was found camped out surrounded by nearly 1,000 pounds of trash, according to authorities.
On June 25, two U.S. national forest rangers found Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, at his illegal camping site in Tonto National Park in central Arizona, according to a probable cause statement. The campground, located on National Forest System Route 1006, had a log fire.
According to the statement, Gatz told officers he had lived in the area for two years and had lived in the Payson Pine section of the forest for a total of eight years.
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Federal regulations limit camping in national forests to 14 days in a 30-day period. US Department of Agriculture. According to the USDA, camping time is limited in length to protect natural resources from degradation and ensure equitable access for all visitors.
When officers found Gatz, he had six outstanding federal arrest warrants for prior violations, including setting a fire while under restraint; building on National Forest Service lands; occupying a national forest as a residence; as well as multiple unsanitary condition violations, according to court documents.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images – PHOTO: Landscape views of the Sonoran desert in the Tonto National Forest, March 1, 2026, outside Superior, Arizona.
According to the probable cause statement, one of the officers had previously issued a warning and violation notice to Gatz for lighting a campfire during fire restrictions. Gatz allegedly told officers he was aware of current fire restrictions but that fire had to be defeated.
According to court documents, Gatz was arrested on six outstanding federal warrants and booked into the Coconino County Detention Facility in Flagstaff.
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A previous violation occurred in May 2025, when an unmarked dirt trail led forest officials to a campsite littered with trash, clothes, pans, tools and plastic cups, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The officer had observed the same scene the previous month, according to the court document.
On July 4, 2025, officers patrolling the area in response to complaints observed a “large, unkempt campsite” containing several years’ worth of trash, according to a probable cause statement. Household items were scattered across nearly an acre of land, and an officer described the scene as “one of the worst settlements he had ever seen in the entire forest,” the document states. Gatz was blamed for unsanitary conditions and the dumping of household garbage throughout the site.
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Gatz was cited again on February 22, 2026, when forest officers observed a red and white trailer surrounded by tarps; four rows of ropes holding clothes, towels, sheets and sleeping bags; a 10-foot campfire made of stone and clay and a cooking station containing about a dozen frying pans, according to court documents.
There were piles of debris all around the trailer, including three ladders, four bicycle frames, eight tires, plywood, 5 gallons of motor oil, and five 55-gallon black drums.
“I was stunned by the amount of debris in the area,” the responding officer wrote in the probable cause affidavit.
Universal Images Group via Getty Images – PHOTO: An old truck carrying a sleeper trailer and a canoe cruises along North Lake Road in the Bartlett Lake Recreation Area as spring poppy flowers bloom in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest.
Forest officers contacted Gatz again on May 7, 2026, and observed an estimated 1,000 pounds of trash at the campsite, according to a probable cause statement. Among the garbage and debris were tires, plastic bags, garbage bags and aluminum cans. Officers also observed an illegal campfire built of stone for cooking, as well as the use of a makeshift shade structure to replicate Gatz’s SUV, the court document said.
The officer wrote that Gatz had been living in the area for several months and was disturbing surrounding vegetation.
In this case, Gatz was granted a mandatory court appearance due to the observed citations.
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After the latest incident, Gatz was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Flagstaff on July 6, according to court documents.
Gatz pleaded guilty to violating fire regulations and unauthorized residential use of the forest and was sentenced to prison and three years of probation, SFGate reported. A spokesman for the U.S. District of Arizona did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Gatz could not be reached for comment. Public defender Luke Stephen Mulligan did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
