Man lived in US national forest for 8 years, creating 1,000 lbs of trash

A man pleaded guilty to charges related to living in an Arizona national forest for eight years, according to a U.S. District Attorney media spokesperson. A Forest Service officer, who found the man and a campsite containing about a half-ton of trash, called it “one of the worst residential cases” he had ever seen.

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Mark Aaron Gatz, 65, pleaded guilty to a violation of fire restrictions and residential use of the forest without a permit, according to District of Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office executive assistant Esther Winne. Gatz was sentenced to time served and three years of probation. 

Officers found Gatz about half a mile into an unmarked dirt trail in Tonto National Forest on June 25. Forest visitors had filed complaints about “several large structures” and “several years’ worth of trash,” a federal citation filed June 29 said. In a previous citation in May, an officer observed “1,000 pounds of trash,” including tires, plastic bags, trash bags, aluminum cans and other items. Visits to many national forests, including Tonto, are limited to 14-day periods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“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,” an officer wrote of the camp in a previous citation.

Gatz had encounters with officers over the past year, according to the citation, with at least six outstanding federal arrest warrants for building a campfire during fire season, unsanitary conditions around his camp, building a structure on national forest lands and digging holes into the land. He told park officers he had been living in Tonto National Forest for about two years, and the larger Payson Pine Area for about eight years.

“Long-term nonrecreational campers present myriad concerns for forest officials, who seek to balance public access and resource conservation,” a 2018 from the U.S. National Forest Service said. It noted that the highest frequency of nonresident camper reports came in July, though reports occur year-round.

Winne said over email that people occupying national forests for unauthorized time periods is a common problem in Arizona. 

SFGATE reached out to Gatz’s attorney but he did not respond immediately to a request for comment.