An unmarked dirt trail in Tonto National Forest once provided police with a clue to an alarming situation that turned out to be far more severe than anticipated.
In 2025, forest rangers investigated an acre of land described by one officer as one of the “worst” cases he had encountered. By this June, the scale of the problem had escalated beyond expectations.
“I was flabbergasted by the amount of debris in the area,” a ranger said when they discovered the site.
Two U.S. national forest rangers found 65-year-old Mark Aaron Gatz living illegally in Tonto National Forest in central Arizona this June. Documents obtained by authorities indicate that Gatz operated an illegal campsite containing not only a wood-burning fire but also 1,000 pounds of trash.
The encampment had been accumulating debris over two years, with Gatz claiming he had been living in the forest for eight years total.
