APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. — Concerns of rampant illegal dumping and prolonged camping on public land near the Superstition Mountains is prompting federal officials to establish a special recreation area.
The Bureau of Land Management has recently completed an environmental assessment to designate over 1,000 acres around the Goldfield Ghost Town as an area to offer new recreation opportunities.
The Goldfield Recreation Area would be located northeast of Apache Junction and include measures intended to increase management of the public lands.
According to a BLM report, the creation of a special recreation area will help fill a need for more structured outdoor activities and resolve the safety concerns of neighboring residents.
"The federal lands near Apache Junction have seen an increase in camping activity in recent years," the BLM report states. "Many campers exceed the 14-day limit on camping which has led to illegal activities such as trash dumping and unauthorized fires."
One long-time Apache Junction resident told 12News earlier this year that illegal camping on land near Dutchman State Park had gotten more prevalent over the last few years.
"I see people taking a dump in the bushes, people crapping in buckets, I see tires dumped, I see broken down vehicles that aren't titled or registered or insured," the resident told 12News in March.
The recreation area will share its name with the old mining town that "died a slow painful death" in the late 1890s but has since become a tourist attraction.
More information about the recreation area can be found here.
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