Major Misquote of Me in the News!
My face is red… OMG I didn’t say that! I love the publicity but I wish it said something I’d actually said rather than something that sounds to me like a grandiose delusion.
Here’s what I’m quoted as saying: “There have been more Bigfoot sightings here than anywhere in the world,” said Linda Martin, who operates the blog bigfootsightings.org. “Happy Camp is surrounded by wilderness. It’s one of the only areas left where they can survive.” See the Article!
I personally don’t believe there are more Bigfoot sightings in the Klamath River Valley than anyplace else in the world, so I’m sure I didn’t say that. Sorry if I gave that impression, but reality is that there are probably more sightings in other areas, such as in Washington and British Columbia.
And as for the Happy Camp area being one of the only places where they can survive, I’m sure I wouldn’t say that either. There are Bigfoot sightings in many countries and 49 of the US states (not in Hawaii).
The reporter might have gotten the wrong impression because I am concerned about how Bigfoot’s world has shrunk. 150 years ago they lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley. But now they’re shoved back into the forested mountains. As humans pave over more of the planet our forest cousins are forced to retreat.
Yes, they’re here in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains, but that’s not one of the only places. There are many areas all over the USA and world where they’ve been seen.
So, I’m posting this here, blushing, because I sure didn’t say what was quoted and I think the reporter may have misunderstood because of the noise level around the booth where he spoke to me. The interview was in the middle of our Bigfoot Jamboree celebration.
Being a reporter is a tough job. The man was very busy gathering information for his article, and the pressure to get these articles out quickly without fail is enormous. So I am not angry that I was misquoted, but just a little embarrassed because any Bigfoot researcher would immediately know that what I was quoted as saying is simply not true.
This just goes to show how easy it is for a reporter to get the wrong idea about what’s being said.
July 25, 2011
Alberta: Bigfoot Walking on Water
I just had to use that title! …But the water was frozen, so it was actually walking on ice. I recently received this Bigfoot sighting report from Alberta, Canada. The sighting was in 1991 – about twenty years ago.
It was January 1991 and I was south of Valleyview, Alberta Canada about 10 pm with a co-worker in the woods. We were crossing a bridge in our truck, and when I looked down I saw a large, black, being marching across the frozen river. It was swinging its’ arms. I knew it wasn’t a man because of its size and color. When I told people what I saw they just laughed, but I know what I saw was Bigfoot.
To the person who sent me this report: I’m not laughing because… I believe Bigfoot exists. I admit I laughed a little, but only because you saw one walking on water (frozen) which I believe is fairly unique! Maybe not in your neck of the woods, though. Where I live, the water doesn’t freeze over.
Because many people laugh and scoff at the idea of a Bigfoot sighting, many experiencers stop telling what they saw. I find that sad and frustrating because there are a lot of people, like myself, that love to hear about Bigfoot. We want to know the habits, habitat, and actions observed during each sighting so we can learn more about our elusive, primitive cousins.
On the map, near the sighting location, there’s a lot of forested territory. There’s also the Willmore Wilderness Area, the Kakwa Provincial Park, and five other provincial parks and three national parks! It must be a beautiful area!
July 8, 2011
A Few Comments on a TCSJR Bigfoot YouTube Video
This video comes from tcsjrbigfoot on YouTube… uploaded July 4, 2011…
I’m impressed by the improvement in this YouTuber’s videography skill over the last year. We’re getting professional quality videos now.
These Ohio area researchers (Tim,Josh,Austin,Jacob and Cody) are out at night squatching while most of us are at home, resting or sleeping, so my hat is off to them for the effort they’re putting into their research activities. I don’t watch all their videos so I don’t know how often they get a hit.
This time the video shows a possible footprint discovery and possible return tree-knocks.
I was attracted to the video initially because it was titled, Communication With Bigfoot – something that’s a particular interest of mine. (See Friends of Sasquatch… a local group I’m a member of.)
One of my main concerns is that human beings are reacting to Bigfoot with fear. Not ALL humans, but most… will have a fear response. At the end of this video we see a night-time encounter with a deer. The narrator mentions that their reaction, upon hearing the noise of its approach was fright. A normal human response… especially for someone out in the dark forest late at night!
In my opinion, Bigfoot knows that if we are frightened, there is danger to them from us. Frightened humans use rifles and injure forest creatures. If there’s one thing we need to train ourselves in before seeking encounters, it is the ability to face a Bigfoot and feel friendship and compassion rather than fear and panic.
Could you do that?
July 4, 2011
Bigfoot DNA – Proof Within Controversy
As the results of the Bigfoot DNA studies slowly emerge from the silence of Dr. Melba Ketchum’s lab, it is both exciting to hear about the discoveries, and distressing to realize there’s so much in-fighting and bickering going on. As usual, in Bigfoot research, every ego is on edge and some go over the edge.
I first heard of it from my neighbor, JavaBob Schmalzbach, author of Monsters, Myths, and Me and owner of the Footprints in Your Mind website. He was involved with Richard Stubstad and Dr. Melba Ketchum when the project started. However as it progressed and the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) expired, communication within the team broke down. It seems that Ketchum has taken over the evidence and edged others out of the deal.
Consequently, Richard Stubstad recently published a statement about the results of the DNA research, after refusing to sign a new NDA giving Dr. Ketchum 100% of the glory and joy of the new discovery. It appears that her attempt to cut out her former associates has backfired.
This appears to be a typical Bigfoot research scenario. I don’t know what it is about Bigfoot, but researchers have been vying with one another for the glory of the great discovery for decades now. I tend to think it is a matter of motivation. When we’re caught up in the human drama rather than thinking first of the well-being of the Bigfoot people themselves, competition runs rampant. So many people want to be the owner of the name that goes down in history as the person who proved the existence of Bigfoot!
Richard Stubstad’s article about Bigfoot DNA can be found in the July 2011 issue of JavaBob’s online magazine: Footprints in Your Mind – Special Sasquatch Edition. It is also on his website.
According to his biography on Footprints In Your Mind.Com, Richard Stubstad started his Bigfoot research as recently as 2009. Since then he “initiated the mitochondrial sequencing of several purported sasquatch samples through Dr. Ketchum’s DNA diagnostics laboratory in Texas.”
The information he is revealing now is not a “leak” of someone else’s work, but rather is from Richard Stubstad’s own collection of evidence and work on the DNA project prior to being shut out. For more information see this rebutal found on JavaBob’s website. He believes he has a legal right to share this much with the public.
Quoting Richard Stubstad:
1) This wasn’t intended to be a leak. Since I am no longer working with Dr. Ketchum according to her own personal desires, I am simply reporting on the work I did, without assistance, on the mtDNA analysis of the first two unspecified mtDNA samples.
2) Dr. K is incorrect; I’m not at all “misinformed” about her ongoing DNA work on various purported sasquatch samples; I’m not informed whatsoever, much beyond what I have already stated.
3) What I stated was not the result of Dr. K’s own work; she merely provided the mtDNA sequencing that others (who provided samples) had paid for. I also paid for some of the testing involved out of my own pocket.
4) Dr. K did not initially notice the close connection between Samples 1 and 2; I did the statistical analysis and told her, quite openly, of the statistical results since we and several others were intimately involved in this exciting and cooperative research when it started.
5) Within a short period of time, she excluded me from what quickly turned into “her” project, along with several others. She told me that her lawyer(s) told her to do so. This does resemble the smell of blood, eh?
The two original samples submitted to the lab were from totally separate sources. In fact, the researcher offering sample #1 did not see eye-to-eye with the researcher offering sample #2, so there was no opportunity for cross-contamination. Nevertheless these two samples had strikingly similar DNA characteristics, enough so that Stubstad concluded that there is a 97-98% certainty that Bigfoot exists.
The mtDNA tests of both samples offered clues to the mitochondrial (maternal/female) origins, showing them to be 100% HUMAN (homo sapiens) proving that “Bigfoot People” is a reasonable term… just as many recent research reports have suggested. They are our cousins, and a likely possibility is that they resulted from breeding between something else, and humans of our species.
What is known about the “Mitochondrial Eve” for both the original samples, is that she was from the “Franco-Cantabrian glacial refuge”. She was a homo sapiens human being living in southern Europe 15,000 years ago, give or take about 5000 years.
Sources include:
Breathtaking News From the Erickson Project
New Erickson Project News: Bigfoot DNA Project Using Two Dead Bigfoot Bodies for Samples
Bear Hunter Interview – Part 2
Interview with Richard Stubstad – Is Bigfoot Human?
The issue of two dead Bigfoot . . . is something I can’t totally believe at this time, but I will explain it to you. The story is that a hunter in Plumas County, CA was threatened by a female Bigfoot, old enough to have gray hair. She was, according to him, blocking the road and making gestures that made him feel threatened, so he got out of his vehicle and shot her.
Then he says there were two young Sasquatches in the forest nearby, obviously upset by the female’s death. The hunter is reported to have shot and killed one of them.
The story continues that there were two other hunters with him. One became hysterical and they took away the rifle and wouldn’t let him shoot the third Bigfoot.
According to the web-rumors, the hunter is extremely worried about being prosecuted, and well he should be. California law is detailed and specific about what hunters are allowed to shoot. Bigfoot, of course, is not on that list.
Also, since the DNA is proving that Sasquatches are at least 1/2 human, there could be murder charges.
One rumor states that they left the bodies there. Another states that the bodies were recovered and sent to a Bigfoot research project in Washington state. And there’s the rumor that a piece of flesh from the female’s thigh was sent to Dr. Melba Ketchum for DNA analysis.
So, there’s the story of two dead Bigfoot bodies. I’m waiting for proof before I’ll believe any of it.
…
All sources for this article can be found on the web.
…
[Update: Radio broadcast - 7/9/11 - Richard Stubstad interviewed by M.K. Davis and Don Monroe. Thanks to Bobbie Short of Bigfoot Encounters for the link!]
[Update: Another radio broadcast - 7/9/11 - Robert Lindsay interviewed by the Minnesota Bigfoot Research Team, with a call-in from BFRO researcher Derek Randles, who spoke with the shooter of the 2 Plumas County Bigfoot and tends to believe the story. (I'm still reserving judgement on the story because it reminds me of the Georgia Bigfoot Hoax, the Stagecoach Nevada Bigfoot Hoax, etc. etc.... show me the proof!!!)]
March 21, 2011
Bigfoot Watching Target Practice? Yes or No?
A woman uploaded this video to YouTube because she thought the figure running in the background (starting at about 38 seconds into the video) could have been a Bigfoot.
Do you agree? Yes or no?
My opinion is that it could have been, but it is too far away to be certain. I don’t believe the helicopter had anything to do with it. If helicopters were going to track Bigfoot, they’d have a field day here in the Klamath National Forest, if they could see past the trees. Thankfully, they’re usually not around.
The running figure could have been a man who suddenly decided he was too close to possible danger. Or it could have been a Bigfoot frightened away. It seems plausible that it could have been a Bigfoot because… why would a man sit so close to kids with guns? You would think a man would be aware that it could be dangerous.
Again, it could have been a criminal the helicopter was looking for. The area doesn’t look heavily forested enough to be prime Bigfoot habitat. Note that it runs fast on snow, something men usually don’t do.
There’s quite a lot of response on the YouTube page if you want to click through and read that.
From a Bigfoot researcher’s POV I find the film of little value in proving the existence of Bigfoot. Even if what we’re looking at is a legitimate running Bigfoot, it is too far away to be able to analyze it in any detail in the way that the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film has been analyzed. If people still refuse to believe that Patty was a Bigfoot, how would they ever believe this?
My partner said, “If that’s a fake, it’s an excellent fake.” We stopped the video several times and noted the man or whatever it was, had a very long stride.
May 8, 2010
Bigfoot Research Lodging: Hotels, Motels, RV Parks, and Campsites Near the Bigfoot Scenic Byway and Bluff Creek in Northern California
By request, this is a listing of accommodations near the Bigfoot Scenic Byway. The Bigfoot Scenic Byway is Northern California’s Highway 96 from Happy Camp, California, to Willow Creek, California.
This is a preliminary list. I will be adding to it as there are more campgrounds to list, and perhaps more motels or cabin rental opportunities. If you know of a business or campground that should be included here, please let me know by clicking on the ‘contact’ link on the right side of this page.- ljm
Happy Camp
The Klamath River Resort Inn, 61700 Highway 96 Happy Camp, CA 96039, (530) 493-2735 (Wi-Fi. Adjacent to the Klamath River. Two miles east of town.)
The Forest Lodge Motel, 63712 Hwy 96 Happy Camp, CA 96039, (530) 493-5296 (Wi-Fi, in-town near the Bigfoot statue.)
Curly Jack Campground – operated by the US Forest Service (South of town adjacent to the Klamath River.)
Elk Creek RV Park & Campground, 921 Elk Creek Road Happy Camp, CA 96039, (530) 493-2208 (Wi-Fi, south of town in the forest next to Elk Creek.)
Klamath Inn & RV Park, 110 Nugget Street Happy Camp, CA 96039, (530) 493-2860 or 493-5377 (Located on the western end of town.)
Thompson Creek Lodge – Cabins, 52431 Hwy. 96, Seiad Valley, Ca. 96086, 530-496-3505 (Located ten miles east of Happy Camp.)
Hoopa
Tsewenaldin Inn, PO Box 219, Hoopa, CA 95546, (530) 625.4294 (Pool. Internet. The only motel in Hoopa, located right next to the Lucky Bear Casino and Ray’s Market.)
Orleans
Klamath Riverside RV Park, PO Box 236 Orleans, CA 95556, (800) 627-9779
Orleans Mining Company Mall, (Motel/Restaurant & Tavern), PO Box 143 Orleans, CA 95556, (530) 627-3213
Pines Trailer Park, 38030 Highway 96, P.O. Box 116 Orleans, CA 95556, (530) 627-3425
Somes Bar
Marble Mountain Ranch, 92520 Hwy 96 Somes Bar, CA 95568, (800) 552-6284
Willow Creek
Bigfoot Motel, 530/629-2142 (In town near the intersection of Highway 299 and Highway 96.)
Coho Cottages, P.O. Box 729, Willow Creek, CA 95573, 1-800-722-2223 (Wi-Fi. Deluxe or standard cottages.)
April 4, 2010
Missouri: Saint Louis University Biology Professor Supports Bigfoot Research
Dr. John Severson lectured on “Bigfoot: Science Fiction or Science Fact” during a recent family night at the Space Museum in Bonne Terre, Missouri. Dr. Severson is a professor of biology at Saint Louis University where he teaches Biology of Health and Disease.
He clarified that although there’s no “hard evidence” (bones or bodies,) there’s plenty of “soft evidence” (footprints and sightings.) He also told his audience that recent examinations of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film showed it could not have been a hoaxer in a costume.
Dr. Severson has been interested in Bigfoot for a long time. He did not commit to being a totally convinced believer, but said that Bigfoot is thought to be nocturnal, omnivorous, and a strong swimmer.
His statements about the flexibility of Bigfoot footprints and the ludicrous idea that thousands of fake-foot hoaxers exist are reminiscent of Dr. Grover Krantz’s anthropological study in Bigfoot Sasquatch Evidence, which I’m currently reading. (I’ll share more about that in a future posting.)
Source: Giving Bigfoot evidence a second look; Dr. John Severson talks about Bigfoot at space museum’s Family Fun Night by Teresa Ressel, published on March 30, 2010 in the Park Hills, MO Daily Journal Online.
Note that a comment on the article cited above mentions a Bigfoot known to frequent the Bonne Terre Rock Quarry. Rock quarries are known to be a site frequently associated with Bigfoot sightings.
Bonne Terre, 62 miles south-west of St. Louis, is surrounded by forests, and in the vicinity of Missouri’s St. Francois State Park.
