Roller Coasters Vs. Genesis: Creationist Museum Outside Cincinnati Had 22% 2009 Attendance Drop, King's Island Fell 4%

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Developers of the proposed Ark Encounter theme park in Williamstown, Ky., need no polite reminders of how tourist attractions are affected by economic downturns.  All the reminders they need are in the publicly available tax returns of their own Creation Museum, which is located on the Bluegrass State side of suburban Cincinnati .  In its first full year of operation, the Creation Museum reported it pulled in "slightly over" 400,000 visitors to its exhibits showing dinosaurs living alongside humans on an earth created by God some 7,000 years ago.  The museum rejects the theory of evolution.  Year two, which ended June 30, 2009, saw a near 22% attendance drop-off to "roughly" 310,000 visitors.  The dip occurred in the throes of the Great Recession and many attractions across the U.S. suffered from down gates.  But the Christian exhibit did far worse than Disney -- whose theme parks managed to eke out gains in 2009.  Mickey Mouse & Co. somehow kept them coming.  So far, there is no tax return available for 2010; it is hard to know if the drop in interest at the Creation Museum has leveled off, turned the corner or benefited from a miraculous recovery.

Still, the proposed Ark park's co-developer, Answers in Genesis of Kentucky, is no Mickey Mouse operation.  In its first two years, it paid a combined $21 million in employee salaries and benefits.  It paid a combined $19 million in other expenses, such as office equipment, advertising and travel.  And there is no telling what kind of halo effect it had on all the gas stations and restaurants west of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

But if the museum's second-year tax return is any kind of guide, the recession has hurt.  Total revenue fell 12% to $20 million.  Contributions and grants fell 15% to $8.2 million.  Its ministry outreach program went from 399 seminars and 205,000 attendees to 288 seminars and 185,00 attendees.  And its revenues-minus-expenses line item (they don't call it profit) shrank from $2.1 million to $715,563.  Other interesting takeaways from the 2009 (most recently available) tax return:

• CEO Ken Ham received $129,832 in salary and $46,186 in benefits and other compensation.
• Ham had two daughters, a son and son-in-law on the payroll as staff members.
• Takenbac Enterprises LLC of Hebron is listed as a general or managing partner.  Kentucky's Secretary of State office shows its "managers" to be James Hatton (AiG's chief financial officer), John Pence (AiG's general counsel) and a Dale Janssen.

From Theme Park Insider, you can see that Ohio's King's Island and Cedar Point did not have the attendance declines that hit the Creation Museum.  Obviously, a museum is not quite the same as a theme park, but the numbers offer some glimpse into the economy's impact.  Here are data about attendance rates for the Top 20 U.S. theme parks for 2009:

1. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom: 17.2 million +1.0%

2. Disneyland: 15.9 million +8.0%

3. Epcot: 11.0 million +0.5%

4. Disney's Hollywood Studios: 9.7 million +1.0%

5. Disney's Animal Kingdom: 9.6 million +0.5%

6. Disney's California Adventure: 6.1 million +9.5%

7. SeaWorld Orlando: 5.8 million -6.8%

8. Universal Studios Florida: 5.4 million -12.0%

9. Islands of Adventure: 4.5 million -13.8%

10. Universal Studios Hollywood: 4.3 million -6.0%

11. SeaWorld San Diego: 4.2 million -12.6%

12. Busch Gardens Tampa: 4.1 million -12.3%

13. Knott's Berry Farm: 3.3 million -6.5%

14. Canada's Wonderland: 3.2 million -6.5%

15. Kings Island: 3.0 million -4.0%

16. Cedar Point : 2.9 million -8.0%

17. Busch Gardens Williamsburg: 2.9 million +3.7%

18. Hersheypark: 2.8 million -1.2%

19. Six Flags Great Adventure: 2.6 million -4.6%

20. Six Flags Magic Mountain: 2.5 million -2.5%

(tie) Six Flags Great America: 2.5 million -6.3%

Cincinnati Area Creation Museum: Researchers Fight Back With New Evolution Science Journal

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A new scientific journal called Evolution: Education and Outreach has made its debut online, appearing about a month ahead of the print publication date. Its unabashed goal is to challenge those who believe Charles Darwin's theory is a fraud. The editors say they are "dedicated to the development, dissemination and education of evolutionary science." Niles Eldredge is a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at the American Museum of Natural History; his son, Greg, teaches at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx. They said they intend to produce riveting issues that contain lively writing and solid science.

Meanwhile, at the 60,000-square-foot Creation Museum, the Biblical story of Genesis holds sway. Science takes a back seat to the what the founders say is their literal interpretation of the Scriptures -- that man was made in God's image and evolution played no role. The museum opened in a Cincinnati suburb on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River earlier this year and has drawn a steady stream of visitors. They see exhibits contending dinosaurs walked the Earth with humans. The planet itself is portrayed as being about 5,000 years old. The museum is built on the theme that God made things the way they are, and that Darwin's notions about evolution are ridiculous and unproven.

The premiere issue of the new scientific journal has what could be a retort -- it chides the scientific community for using weasel words in research articles when they should write "evolution." John Thompson, the author, is with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He says quit using euphemisms.

"Part of the problem is that we often fail to use the word evolution even when we mean exactly that. Instead, we have developed a rich vocabulary of alternatives that take the place of the word evolution if much scientific and popular writing. These alternatives or euphemisms are so common that they seem natural to us . . ."

"You and I know that phrases such as 'emergence of disease resistance' or 'overcame defenses' mean evolution, but non scientists often do not. When I have asked non scientists what they think happened when a pathogen species 'overcame resistance' in a new crop variety, or a new antibiotic, they often respond by saying that, well, the pathogens changed. When I have asked them if they think that means the pathogens evolved, they often give me a puzzled look. We make the connection or translation, but non scientists and students do not. We could therefore have a large effect on society's perception of evolution simply by using the word evolution when we mean it. We should skip the euphemisms or use them sparingly. Pests evolve resistance, to new crop varieties, pathogens evolve resistance to new antibiotics, and the traits of introduced species evolve in their new environments . . ."

"Evolution is a good, clear word and does not need euphemisms to make it more interesting."

Adirondack Journal has taken a look at the first issue of Evolution: Education and Outreach and says all 21 articles are worth reading. More advice: Teachers should bookmark the site.