Funded by the creationist ministry Answers in Genesis, "Ark Encounter" is to be a bold creationist assertion of Noah's Ark in Hebron, Kentucky.
In order to take advantage of millions in tax breaks, the project must be completed by May 2014. Currently, the project has access to $12.3 million in funding, with $12.7 million in committed donations. Given that completing the project is estimated to cost $150 million, it is not yet known whether or not Answers in Genesis will finish the project.
Ark Encounter is not the first effort on the part of Answers in Genesis to communicate to the public their belief in a literal interpretation of the bible. Answers in Genesis is also responsible for the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky.
While roundly criticized by a number of scientists and educators, the museum attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. It features exhibits that claim that the earth is only about 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs and early humans coexisted. It insists that natural phenomena like the Grand Canyon formed as a consequence of the Flood, and not the shifting of tectonic plates. It denies the validity of the theory of evolution and instead argues that God directly created every living thing.
Biblical literalists insist that the earth cannot possibly be older than 6 thousand years. Their refusal to accept evolutionary theory and the validity of the application of carbon dating techniques has triggered a backlash in the scientific community.
One of the biggest challenges facing Answers in Genesis as they work on their "Ark Encounter" exhibit is showing exactly how Noah could possibly have fit mating pairs of every species of animal on the ark. Currently, scientists have cataloged 1.3 million species of animals.
While the eventual completion of "Ark Encounter" is still an unknown outcome, the project continues to provoke controversy. Some critics assert that the tax breaks offered to Answers in Genesis violate constitutional laws dividing church and state.
