Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve could be getting a new name - not the "Craters of the Moon" part, but rather "national monument and preserve," a title advocates want to change to a simple and stately "national park."

That's the goal of a group of locals in Butte County, Idaho - home of Craters of the Moon - who plan to petition government officials to grant the site the prestigious "national park" title, an honor they hope will bring more people to their sparsely-populated neck of the woods.

"It's really about a marketing strategy for it," Butte County commissioner Rose Bernal, a leading advocate for the park status told Magicvalley.com. "It's sad how many people get there (by) accident ... They don't know how awesome it is."

The 54,000-acre monument is part of an ancient lava field, formed 2,000 to 15,000 years ago. Today, visitors can hike up desolate cinder cones, crawl through year-round ice caves and hike along paved and rugged wilderness trails.

If named a national park, it could bring more tourists and more money to an area that could use the financial boon. Population and income have both declined steadily since 1970, according to an economic study by the University of Idaho, leaving the town with a 23.3 percent poverty rate as of 2009.

"Perhaps abundant beautiful scenery and recreational opportunities should drive the economies" of the counties around Craters of the Moon, the study said. "But they don't."

Advocates hope getting the monument designated as a national park would turn the area's poor fortune around, but they still face a steep road to getting that done.

Getting the park designation requires an act of Congress, which in turn requires action from the Idaho state legislature. A resolution did pass the Idaho Senate in 2015, but stalled in the state House after some lawmakers - nudged by local ranchers and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation - raised concerns about how the new status would affect current land uses.

Proponents in the legislature promise a second effort in 2016, but those who helped shoot it down last year are still wary of the changes it could bring to rural Idaho ranchers.

The Farm Bureau is primarily concerned with the possibility of new federal limits on grazing around the park, a bureau spokesman said - not unlike the primary issue brought up by the militants who took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, six hours away in eastern Oregon.

Advocates assure those changes won't happen, but the anti-government sentiment now building throughout the region may be enough to sway lawmakers against the plan. That would be a big blow to the hopes of establishing Idaho's one and only national park.

National park or national monument, Craters of the Moon is worth a visit either way - even if you're just stopping by on your way out to Yellowstone.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB