Tom Folks retired after 30 years of Federal service in the National Park Service (Grand Canyon and Glacier National Parks), National Forest Service (Wasatch National Forest and Geometronics Service Center) and, predominantly, in the Bureau of Land Management (Arizona Strip District and Glenwood Springs Field Office.) While serving primarily in the Wilderness, Recreation, Visual and Travel Management programs, he also served in the Lands and Realty program. Following Federal service, Tom served as Senior Environmental Planner/Recreation, Wilderness and Travel Management Specialist for Advanced Resource Solutions, Inc. where he facilitated BLM and FS interdisciplinary team planning sessions for 55 public lands Travel Management Areas in 4 states involving tens of thousands of miles of roads and trails. He fully retired in 2014.
Tom first encountered the world of creation science while updating the Paria Canyon Hiker’s Guide, a BLM publication, in 1991. The geology text in the guide struck him as being one-sided, presenting only a deep time view. Contacting ICR, he met Dr. Steve Austin, who provided a catastrophic context for the geology of the canyon. Fairly incorporating both views, the hiker’s guide quickly aroused other employees who championed their ‘faith’ in deep time. Tom compromised by not including any references to geologic time or processes but merely a useful mile-by-mile feature guide.
Following this experience, Tom began to assist Dr. Austin with logistical support for field work involving nautiloids, radiometric dating, and spillover lakes in the Grand Canyon region. For over 30 years, he has provided southwest U.S. local/regional knowledge, field work planning/logistics support, assistance with government permitting, and hospitality as a team member on the LogosRA Navajo Sandstone Project, Hopi Lake Study, and other projects/studies.
In 2019, he served as liaison for Southland Bible Church, assisting Dr. Sanford in hosting the LogosRA meeting in St. George, UT. In addition, he supported Living Waters Bible Camp in the permit acquisition process for the 2021 Mt. St. Helens Excursions. In 2023, he assisted Dr. Austin in the logistics and administration of the 2023 Creation Adventures Grand Canyon River Trip and he continues, when requested, to assist in research studies occurring in the region. Thirty years of exposure to the creation science world have made Tom a passionate adherent to the Creation account with a desire to help others see the strong scientific evidence and the logic of that account.
Tom lives in the southern Utah area with his wife Heidi and enjoys copious amounts of time with his six grandchildren.