Creationist drops lawsuit after park authorities grant him permission to study rocks in Grand Canyon

A creationist has dropped his lawsuit against the National Park Service after he obtained a research permit to study the rocks at Grand Canyon.

Andrew Snelling, a geologist who believes that the Grand Canyon was formed after Noah's flood, sued the National Park Service in May, alleging that he was denied permission to conduct research at the park because of his Christian beliefs about the origins of the earth.

In 2013, the geologist requested permission to obtain a few fist-sized rock samples to study the "folding Paleozoic sedimentary structures at four locations within the Grand Canyon." However, his request was denied after park authorities sent his proposal to reviewers, who reportedly advised the officials to turn down his application.

This week, Snelling had asked to drop the lawsuit after the National Park Service finally caved in to his request.

"We commend Park Service officials, Interior Secretary Zinke, and the Trump administration for understanding that specifically targeting Dr. Snelling's faith as the reason to stop his research was both inappropriate and unconstitutional," said Gary McCaleb of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), co-counsel for Snelling.

Scientists who want to conduct research in the park are required to explain their objectives and obtain a permit.

According to World Net Daily, permit coordinator Ronda Newton asked for two peer reviews of Snelling's plans.

Snelling, who holds a doctorate in geology from the University of Sydney, had provided three peer reviews, but Newton went on to ask the opinion of two professors who were opposed to the creationist's proposal.

Karl Karlstrom, a professor from the University of New Mexico, reportedly demonstrated "antipathy for Dr. Snelling's religious faith and the religious views of the scientists who provided peer reviews on behalf of Dr. Snelling."

Peter Huntoon of the University of Wyoming, who has worked with Karlstrom on various projects, allegedly condemned Snelling's plan, saying "ours is a secular society as per our constitution (sic)" and suggested "inappropriate interests" should be "screened out."

Snelling, who works with the creationist organization Answers in Genesis, was required by the park to first travel through the canyon and obtain the GPS coordinates of locations he wanted to study before obtaining a permit.

A park officer reportedly said that Snelling's permit was initially denied because the rock samples he wanted is freely available outside the park.

McCaleb stated that the Park Service "finally admitted, 'Dr. Snelling's proposal is well stated with methods that are similar or equal to standard scientific practice to test the hypothesis provided,' so it is the right choice to let the research go forward."

"This settlement benefits everyone, in that it sends the message that the government will not interfere with basic scientific inquiry," said Michael Kitchen, lead counsel for Snelling.