According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, Bush administration appointees have pressured the National Park Service to suppress science at the Grand Canyon in favor of religious views, such as those in a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah’s flood rather than by geologic forces. PEER’s executive director Jeff Ruch contends, “As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan.”
Update 1/3/07: A former park ranger has looked into this and e-mails,
“I was skeptical of PEER’s claims. After researching the matter, I found most of the claims to be wildly unsubstantiated and blatantly false. Also consider that the bookstore in question is operated by the Grand Canyon Association, a PRIVATE, non-profit organization, not the government. They also sell American Indian books with creation myths. The book in question is in the ‘inspirational’ section. Don’t believe everything you read.”
He has more on his blog.
To me, it doesn’t matter who runs the bookstore — the book is bogus and should have no place there, unless it’s in a section called Complete Fiction. As for the American Indian books, that can be part of the history of the area, which is surrounded by tribal land, but should also never be passed off as anything approaching science (or inspiration).