October 26, 2004

Former NPS director concerned about creationism in the Canyon

Interviewed by The New York Times, Roger Kennedy, a former director of the National Park Service, expressed concern about the presence of the young-earth creationist anthology Grand Canyon: A Different View in the NPS-supervised bookstores in Grand Canyon National Park. Referring to the fact that many visitors to the park will assume that any book sold in the bookstores are approved by the NPS, he remarked: "That's the problem ... and we need to pay attention to it."

Grand Canyon: A Different View continues to be sold at the park's bookstores, pending the completion of a legal policy review. According to a report in the Washington Post, the review was originally expected to be completed by February 2004, but there is now no deadline. Asked by the Times to describe the review process and explain the delay, a NPS spokesperson said only, "It's resting with the solicitor's office."

(Story in The New York Times)