Can anybody verify this?

This seems a little goofy, even for the Bush Ministry ...errr... Administration.

Tip of the hat to CJ's Bullhorn in Colorado for this.

From a press release from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility:

HOW OLD IS THE GRAND CANYON? PARK SERVICE WON’T SAY — Orders to Cater to Creationists Makes National Park Agnostic on Geology

{snip}

"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’”

{snip}

In August 2003, Park Superintendent Joe Alston attempted to block the sale at park bookstores of Grand Canyon: A Different View by Tom Vail, a book claiming the Canyon developed on a biblical rather than an evolutionary time scale. NPS Headquarters, however, intervened and overruled Alston.

The book exists; find a review here. The way the book is characterized in the press release seems to be accurate.

The book *is* on the website of the Grand Canyon Bookstore. For a mere $16.99 (plus, I assume, tax and shipping charges), it can be yours.

If I have time, I'll look into this later this week.

Good night!