Rollback of ‘roadless rule’ expected to benefit companies US Forest Service chief, Tom Schultz, previously lobbied for

Donald Trump this month announced plans to rescind a landmark rule that has protected old-growth forests in the US for 25 years. If finalized, the rollback is expected to benefit the companies that Tom Schultz, chief of the US Forest Service, represented in his previous roles as a timber industry lobbyist and executive, according to research by consumer advocacy non-profit Public Citizen.

The Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more commonly known as the “roadless rule”, was adopted in 2001 to limit development in roughly 45m acres of national forest. Industry interests and Republican representatives have long lobbied for the rule’s rescission, which would open up those swaths of untouched land to road construction, drilling and logging.

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© Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

© Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

© Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

Canyons, small streams and dry creek beds in the West can be deceptively dangerous, trapping hikers when rainfall upstream causes rapidly rising water.

© John Locher/Associated Press

The bodies of at least two people were found and more than a dozen were missing. Further storms could hinder rescue efforts on Monday.

© The New York Times

Officials say one person still unaccounted for as forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms threaten further flooding

A second death was confirmed by National Park Service officials on Monday after a flash flood sent a surge of water and debris through an area of the Grand Canyon over the weekend.

Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter during the deluge, which consumed trails and infrastructure. Nearly 80 people were rescued and one person is still unaccounted for, as more heavy rain and thunderstorms in the forecasts threaten additional debris flows, flash floods or rock falls, the NPS said in a statement.

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© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

Officials announced a second death and said that more than a dozen people remain unaccounted for after heavy rain.

© Craig Sanderson, via Associated Press

As the search for missing visitors continues, the National Park has shut down hotels and much of its terrain, but visitors can still enter.

© J. Baird/National Park Service, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Officials say one person still unaccounted for as forecast heavy rain and thunderstorms threaten further flooding

A second death was confirmed by National Park Service officials on Monday after a flash flood sent a surge of water and debris through an area of the Grand Canyon over the weekend.

Dozens of visitors had to be evacuated by helicopter during the deluge, which consumed trails and infrastructure. Nearly 80 people were rescued and one person is still unaccounted for, as more heavy rain and thunderstorms in the forecasts threaten additional debris flows, flash floods or rock falls, the NPS said in a statement.

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© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: J Thompson,handout/NATIONAL PARK SERVICE/AFP/Getty Images

Phantom Ranch, the only lodge within the Grand Canyon, has drawn adventurers and dignitaries, including Theodore Roosevelt, for more than a century.

© Craig Sanderson, via Associated Press

Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and Wales

Housebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain’s biggest building society.

Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for homes within three miles of a national park.

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© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

Nationwide research also shows average 14% premium for housing in national landscapes of England and Wales

Housebuyers are paying a premium of almost a quarter to own a property located within a UK national park, with the New Forest the most expensive national park to live in, according to Britain’s biggest building society.

Nationwide found that a property located within a national park cost 24% more on average than a similar property elsewhere, while buyers were also stumping up a 6% premium for homes within three miles of a national park.

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© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

© Photograph: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

Dozens evacuated after flash-flood event near Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, officials say

One person died and about 15 people were missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon national park in Arizona on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Park Service.

The flash-flood event occurred in the area of Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch, where park staff and the Arizona department of public safety had evacuated more than 60 people as of Sunday morning.

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© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

Dozens evacuated after flash-flood event near Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch, officials say

One person died and about 15 people were missing or unaccounted for after a major flash flood swept through the Grand Canyon national park in Arizona on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Park Service.

The flash-flood event occurred in the area of Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch, where park staff and the Arizona department of public safety had evacuated more than 60 people as of Sunday morning.

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© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

© Photograph: Parth Desai/AP

At least 62 people were evacuated on Saturday after flooding destroyed footbridges and damaged a campground and cabins near Bright Angel Creek in Arizona, the National Park Service said.

© National Park Service, via Associated Press

The proposed land swap would allow easy access to the crown jewel of the national park system. Democrats and former Park Service officials are incensed.

© Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times

Americans continue to flock to the national parks, with more than 320 million visitors in the last year alone. But that broad appeal is facing new political pressures, from orders to revise exhibits to President Trump's construction projects. Amna Nawaz discussed the state of national parks with Tiernan Sittenfeld, the president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association.

National Park Service, which backs the 250ft arch, says it is likely to disrupt historical significance of dozens of sites

A new National Park Service report backs Donald Trump’s proposed arch, despite what it says are adverse effects to the sightlines of a host of landmarks in Washington, including the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

The report released on Friday says the 250ft-tall (76-meter) memorial arch is likely to disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location adjacent to the Arlington Memorial Bridge.

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© Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images