The editorial recognized the diversity of opinions on origins issues and emphasized the need to carefully consider what the important issues are. People have suggested various origins models, each with different combinations of young and old for the universe, the solar system, the matter of earth, and life on earth. As mentioned in the conference report, I have not settled on any one particular model. This is true for all sides in the discussion. A detailed description of the various models would find that each has significant advantages and each has major problems.
Individual preferences are often based on the presuppositions one begins with.
The Sabbath addresses both of those questions. Animals visited the water hole before the ashfall. The climate here apparently was sub-tropical. The site was a small mountaintop watering spot. As the flood waters slowly rose, the site was initially protected.