Officials in Pinal County are reportedly working to address toxic garbage caused by illegal camping by the homeless after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) displaced them by closing 1,000 acres of public land in Apache Junction and the Tonto National Forest to create a new recreation area.
Pinal County Supervisor Jeff Serdy confirmed local authorities are left to confront the numbers of “boondockers,” “nomads” and “truly homeless” who were displaced after BLM closed the acreage to build a recreation area in remarks to ABC 15.
“The state land department has nine million acres and they don’t have any law enforcement. These folks understand that,” Seardy told the outlet, adding that many of those illegally camping are only doing so for “recreational” purposes.
BLM sent a statement to the outlet that did not recognize the link between the land closure to build a recreational area and the number of illegal campers reportedly descending on Arizona state land.
“Under Arizona law, DPS has absolutely no jurisdiction over state lands and illegal camping. If you are new to Arizona, you may want to check state law. All 15 counties have elected Sheriffs who are responsible for enforcing the laws over state and federal lands in their counties with the exception of tribal lands,” the agency said.
The agency made that claim after Apache Junction resident Eric Goll previously told 12 News that “BLM said the garbage” left behind by illegal campers “is so toxic they won’t send their own employees to clean it up so if we don’t want to live in the middle of a landfill we need to clean it up ourselves. So I’ve put together a team of volunteers to clean up the area.”
The federal agency told the outlet that it “has worked with several community groups that provide outreach and support to unhoused people,” who it acknowledged are attempting to move to federal land in larger numbers. BLM claimed its “staff regularly patrol public lands, and if they encounter unhoused individuals, they can notify them of camping limits and refer them to area services.”
Earlier this month, police reportedly found “portions of a human skeleton” in the Tonto National Forest near Sunflower, Arizona, prompting an investigation by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Homeless Camp” by Elvert Barnes. CC BY-SA 2.0.
