Now 18 months removed from a storm that devastated parts of Death Valley National Park, officials have detailed a proposal to rehabilitate and reopen Scotty’s Castle and the surrounding area.

The landscape, historic buildings, utilities and road at Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley National Park were heavily damaged by an extreme flash flood event in Ocober 2015. The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a proposed project to reconstruct Bonnie Clare Road, which was destroyed by the flood and is still closed to the public.

Whether the anti-public lands sentiment among Utah's Republican Party was fomented in the state's far-flung rural counties and flowed across the country to Washington, D.C., or vice versa, the goal is highly visible. From the Statehouse in Salt Lake City to the Capitol in Washington, Utah Republicans are working to either force the transfer of federal lands to the states or to open up more of federal acres to energy development, mining, and even water storage.

Visitors from around the world complain about off-road vehicle tracks marring the beauty of Death Valley National Park. Illegal off-road driving is a problem in multiple areas of the park, including the Racetrack, Ibex Dunes and Badwater. The National Park Service seeks public support for a grant application that would help fund restoration of these damaged areas.