Plan for Creationist 'Ark' Park Draws Paleontologists' Ire

Kentucky scientists are slamming Governor Steve Beshear's (D) announcement yesterday that the state is partnering with Answers in Genesis (AIG), a creationism group, to create "Ark Encounter," a park related to Noah's Ark. Replete with what developers call a "full-scale" ark and models of dinosaurs, the $150 million amusement park in Grant County will be a follow-on to AIG's Creation Museum in Petersburg, which opened in 2007.

The governor says the for-profit developers behind the planned park will apply for tax breaks, which could provide up to $37.5 million in savings from the state. Governor Beshear says the park will create 900 jobs for the state. But Daniel Phelps, president of the Kentucky Paleontological Society in Lexington, says the park is "government entanglement with religion" and doesn't make the state attractive to scientists and technically minded individuals. "I don't envision people, especially those with science backgrounds, wanting to move to a state where the 'ark park' has government support," says Phelps, who works as an environmental geologist for the state.