Opinion: There are rules for campers and ATV operators on Arizona State Trust Land, but no one is consistently enforcing them. That must change, and quickly.
Chuck Antonio
opinion contributor
As I drive to Peralta Trailhead at the end of Peralta Road near Gold Canyon, I pass dozens of campers, trailers and recreational vehicles set up all over the place.
Some are next to the road, some in what appear to be areas adjacent to old roads and some in places that have been created from pristine desert, possibly because they could not find a previously used space.
Last winter there were many vehicles that maintained a camping space for several weeks, with one camper remaining near the turnoff to the regional park for more than three months.
These vehicles remained in place long enough for me to be concerned about what they were doing with gray and black water that obviously accumulated during that time period.
The only possible solution was for them to dump it on the open desert ground.