Longtime Resident of Rancho del Oro Speaks Out Against Unlawful Encroachments and Environmental Violations in Unincorporated Maricopa County
Rancho del Oro, AZ – April 4, 2025 — A longtime resident of the unincorporated Rancho del Oro community is speaking out against ongoing violations of property boundaries, environmental law, and public safety that have disrupted not only her life but the very principles that define rural living in Maricopa County.
Shimmer, a community member since 2017 and wife of the landowner of a 2.5-acre parcel originally allotted to David Ormond in the 1950s, has documented repeated acts of trespass, destruction, and aggressive development by neighboring property owners. The land, once managed in balance with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) guidelines and local custom, has come under threat as newer residents—many of whom appear to misunderstand or outright ignore the laws governing unincorporated lands—have attempted to urbanize and dominate the area.
In one case, a neighbor who bought a split piece a 2.5-acre parcel in half unlawfully removed native vegetation, including a family of protected saguaro cacti, and ignored multiple requests to contain an aggressive dog—believed to be a coyote hybrid. The dog, which had been allowed to roam freely for years, is suspect in the resent attacks of 2 of 3 cats belonging to Shimmer, who participates in the Humane Society’s AZ Working Cat program.
The most recent attack happened mere feet from where Shimmer stood. “That wasn’t a coyote,” she said. “That animal was bold and conditioned—likely the same dog that’s been allowed to run wild for years.”
After multiple sheriff calls, documentation, and letters from attorneys representing Shimmer and her husband, the situation escalated further when the neighbors—rather than correcting their behavior—responded with legal threats of their own. They claimed a nonexistent “city roadway” had been blocked, ignoring the land’s clearly recorded unincorporated status and its private origins.”
This isn’t just a neighborhood dispute,” said Shimmer. “This is about protecting the rights of all who live in unincorporated Maricopa County—people who choose this way of life for its freedom, its peace, and its stewardship.”
Adding to the complexity is the lack of response from local and state wildlife authorities, which Shimmer attributes to past affiliations and personal conflicts with individuals in power.
“I’m not asking for special treatment—I’m asking for someone to care that the land is being bulldozed, the laws are being ignored, and people are being harassed,” she said.
Shimmer is getting to formally submitting a letter to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, requesting immediate oversight, investigation, and enforcement… BECAUSE HER LAWYER DOESN’T FOLLOW THROUGH WITH WHAT HE ORIGINALLY WROTE AND WARNED THEM OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, TWICE! THEY WON’T STAND UP FOR FOR THE HISTORICAL VETERAN GROUNDS SO, SHE HAS TOO.
“Rancho del Oro was never meant to be a city. We are an unincorporated, rural community that respects land, law, and each other. But that balance is being destroyed—piece by piece—by people who came here for space and now want to take everyone else’s.”
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