Thousands attend unauthorized event in Tonto National Forest
Forest protection officers discovered more than 5,000 people at an unauthorized meet-up event Saturday night near Lower Sycamore in the Tonto National Forest.
Campers and partiers restricted access to the area by taping off sections of the main road to designate their camping area, and vehicles were parked all along the main roads, according to a Facebook post by forest officials.
Some violations by forest visitors at
the event included DUIs, double riding, speeding/reckless vehicle operation and user-created vehicle staging areas in the burned area. There were also camps blocking roadways, illegal use of fireworks and target shooting with unknown backstops, officials noted.
Seven vehicle crashes occurred, and there were multiple reports of stolen offhighway vehicles. Two quads also collided, and a person received medical transport from the area by helicopter due to the restrictions caused by the visitors.
The Tonto National Forest requires a permit application to be submitted and approved for all commercial or noncommercial gatherings of over 75 people, according to forest officials.
People were advised to report illegal Facebook meet-up events to district offices: Mesa Ranger District 480-6103300, Cave Creek Ranger District 480595-3300, Tonto Basin Ranger District 602-225-5395, Globe Ranger District 928-402-6200, and Payson Ranger District 928-474-7900. People can also send a message via Facebook.
Reach breaking news editor Mike Cruz at michael.cruz@azcentral.com or on Twitter at @mikecnews.
Columnist Karina Bland is off and will return next week.