Half-hectare of forest turned into dump; 'hermit' who lived 8 years in woods sentenced

Mark Aaron Gatz has been sentenced after authorities discovered he had been living illegally in Arizona's Tonto National Forest for approximately eight years, transforming part of the wilderness into a dumping ground. Gatz was found living in a makeshift camp where he had accumulated hundreds of kilograms of waste.

Forest Service officers described the site as one of the most severe cases of illegal occupation they had encountered. During inspections, they found a wide array of discarded items, including clothing, cookware, tools, plastic cups, trash bags, tires, barrels, bicycle frames, construction materials, and motor oil containers. In May, an officer estimated around 450 kilograms of garbage were scattered across roughly half an acre of forest land. Gatz had also constructed a rudimentary storage structure.

In addition to the waste accumulation, Gatz repeatedly violated fire restrictions. Court documents revealed he had a campfire burning during a period of severe fire bans, admitting he knew about the prohibitions but needed the fire for cooking. Officers found an unattended, still-hot fire upon inspection. The Forest Service had previously issued Gatz multiple warnings and citations for camping violations, maintaining a residence on federal forest land, and leaving trash in the area. He faced six federal warrants for previous offenses, including illegal fires and unauthorized structures.

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I was stunned by the amount of debris in the area.