Sunday, February 20, 2011 

NEW - website for the Sasquatch Summit - a Tribute to John Green


There is now a website for the Sasquatch Summit - the Tribute event for John Green!

LINK to www.johngreensasquatchsummit.com

It's new and information will be added as it becomes available and as time permits.

We have Lesley Solunac to thank for taking the initiative to get it started and her friend Jeb Gordon for his invaluable work creating the site.

Alex, Lesley, Jeb and I reviewed the content for several hours last night and it will now be the place to check for information on the Summit.

Since the last time we updated things here several notable people have decided to attend this historic gathering: Al Hodgson of Willow Creek, Igor Burtsev from Russia and Adrian Erickson from British Columbia.

We hope you can make it as well!




 Friday, February 11, 2011 

Spreading the Word - Jeff Meldrum gives talks in Idaho & Indiana

It's a great thing when Jeff Meldrum is able to make time and give lectures about bigfoot in small settings. Twice in the last few weeks he has given talks in both Idaho and Indiana. Here's the promotional article with some nice background on Dr. Meldrum for yesterday's Sun Valley, Idaho appearance. Below is an article published this week in the student newspaper at Indiana University Southeast where Jeff Meldrum gave a presentation in January. I can't think of anyone better suited to explain this subject. Enjoy the articles.


(Dr. Jeff Meldrum with Gray's Harbor footprint cast. photo by Rachel Anne Seymour)


Does Bigfoot exist?
Bigfoot expert Jeffery Meldrum to talk about Sasquatch


by Sabina Dana Plasse
Express Staff Writer, Idaho Mountain Express



When Jeffrey Meldrum was 11 years old, he saw Roger Patterson's famous 60 seconds of jumpy footage of an unidentified, giant, ape-like creature.

"The larger-than-life image of a Bigfoot deliberately striding across the screen made a lasting impression on a young and adventurous mind and served to reinforce my fascination with the primates and primitive humans," Meldrum writes in the introduction to his book, "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science."

Thirty years later, with bachelor's and master's degrees in zoology from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in anatomical sciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Meldrum found himself examining mysterious 14-inch footprints in Washington state.

Meldrum was using his expertise in foot morphology and locomotion of monkeys, apes and hominids to bring a new level of scientific inquiry to the search for Bigfoot.
In his 2006 book, Meldrum doesn't argue for the existence of Sasquatch, but rather states that "the evidence that exists fully justifies the investigation and the pursuit of this question."

Even that is going too far for some of his skeptical colleagues in academia and science, a few of whom have publicly disparaged Meldrum's work. Those with positive things to say about him include primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, who said his book "brings a much-needed level of scientific analysis" to the debate about Sasquatch. Zoologist Dr. George Shaller said that "by offering a critical scrutiny, [his book] does more for this field of investigation than all the past arguments and polemics of contesting experts."

Meldrum is an associate professor of anatomy and anthropology and adjunct associate professor of the Department of Anthropology at Idaho State University. He is also adjunct professor of occupational and physical therapy and affiliate curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. He joined the ISU faculty in 1993 after a short time at Northwestern University.

Meldrum will give a free presentation at Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketchum on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 6:30 p.m. The lecture is in conjunction with The Center's ongoing multidisciplinary project "Creatures: From Bigfoot to the Yeti Crab," which explores fantastical creatures, real, imaginary and status undetermined, through the eyes of visual artists, scientists, filmmakers and writers.

Link to the article at the Idaho Mountain Express

----------------------------------------------


(Dr. Meldrum during lecture at Indiana University Southeast, January 2011. photo by Jerod Clapp)

Professor Takes a Stand for Bigfoot
by Jennifer Schonschack
Staff Writer, Indiana University Southeast Horizon student newspaper


When the Bigfoot movie “Harry and the Hendersons” came out in 1987, Jeffrey Meldrum, associate professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University, was more than five years through his college education. He was well on his way to learning all he could to prove Bigfoot’s existence through scientific evidence.

Throughout the 20th century, thousands of eyewitnesses have reported sightings of giant, bipedal apes commonly referred to as Bigfoot or Sasquatch — an animal thought to have similar human-like characteristics.

“Opinions vary to the nature,” Meldrum said. “Some suggest that it is a nearly human like creature. Others have suggested that it is a large ape — a distance relative of the ape or orangutan. I tend to be more in the latter. I see behaviors and anatomy that reflects its ape-like quality.”

On Jan. 27, Meldrum spoke to a crowd of more than 100 students, faculty and citizens from the community who gathered in the Hoosier Room to get the facts about the existence of this animal.

Meldrum got his doctorate in physical anthropology from Stony Brook State University in New York in 1989.

Meldrum began with a short introduction about his discussion, and then jumped in on what he and others have found in their studies of the biological evidence of Bigfoot. The evidence ranges from trace elements like footprints to the physical elements including animal feces and hair. “There is photographic evidence, as well,” he said. “It can be controversial, but the other evidence we measure and look at objectively.”

Meldrum showed pictures of casts of what is believed to be a footprint of a Bigfoot-type animal made by him and other professional biologists in this area from the past three decades.

“They are casts of footprints that are attributed to Sasquatch,” he said. “It’s up to me to ascertain if they are hoaxed — misidentified as other animals.”

A presentation by Roger Patterson convinced Meldrum of Bigfoot’s existence. Patterson, a rodeo rider, developed a curiosity about Bigfoot in the 1960s and captured a famous 60-second clip of the creature. Patterson came to speak in the town Meldrum grew up in, and he and his brother convinced their father to take them.
Meldrum got to meet the filmmaker after the presentation, and it was at this young age he realized his fascination with this creature.

“That certainly was the turning point for me,” Meldrum said. “We had talked about in school. I was only in fifth grade but was already fascinated.”

One of the first things Meldrum discussed was the importance of myths in history, as well as in certain celebrations, including a Middle Eastern tradition of keeping track of specific animals whose meat, when ingested, aids in relieving jaundice. “No history is without myth, and no myth is without history,” Meldrum said. He also talked about “Zerleg Knoon,” another man-like creature better known as the Abominable Snowman.

Meldrum’s study about fossils or sightings of such creatures included a discussion about bipedal human ancestors like the 1959 discovery of “Zinj” by Mary Leakey. The importance of this fossil was the almost complete cranium of an adult male. It was her husband, Louis Leakey, who suggested that “Zinj” was a distinctive sort of early human ancestor.

Cory Dixon and Marc Lewis, chemistry freshmen, attended the lecture and said they both agreed it was worth the time to hear about it.

“Sasquatch just sounds cool,” Dixon said.


(Jeff Meldrum poses for photographs with attendees; here with Alan Walters of Jeffersonville, IN. photo credit: IU Southeast Horizon)


Although Meldrum was supposed to have completed a project in Nepal, India, before his discussion, politics kept him from staying to finish the excursion with National Georgraphic.

“National Geographic is producing a documentary with an unfinalized title, questioning the Yeti and the Sasquatch, or the ‘mande burung’ in India,” Meldrum said. “Its description is very similar to the Bigfoot. Since we weren’t able to stay in India, we went instead to my lab and started there. [We] met with some Native Americans, learned about their lore and looked at some of the evidence that has come out of that region, including some footprints that were brought to our attention. They had discovered large 15-inch tracks.”

More recently, Meldrum was involved in a documentary production with other scientists to discuss findings.

“We did some experiments with search-and-rescue dogs with some distinct scat we had found,” Meldrum said. “It elicited an interesting reaction from the dogs. They reacted with a fear response.”

One man in the audience wanted to know why no one has ever come forward with more than one sighting.

Ben Schneider, a 1996 IUS alumnus, asked about how the Bigfoot freezer hoax affected studies where real evidence had been found. Meldrum said it made a mockery of their efforts.

When asked about his personal beliefs, he said if he had doubts, his career would have been different.

“Of course I’m personally convinced,” he said. “I think what were looking at is many branches of hominids. Rather than assuming they all went extinct some persistent branches exist today in remote areas.”

Link to article at Indiana University Southeast Horizon student newspaper




 Sunday, February 06, 2011 

Green Bay Packers connection to Bigfoot Songs - PackerPalace.com

I just wanted to direct you to the coolest football fan site in the world!
and they're the very same people who have brought you this website!

Link over to PACKER PALACE




The guys behind bigfootsongs dot com create the content and manage the #1
Green Bay Packers fan site on the web - namely, Scott McClean and Norby!
You'll find some of the funniest football photoshop creations around -
taking down every opponent Green Bay faced this season. Enjoy the pro football world from a cheese head point of view.

Go PACKERS!!




 Thursday, February 03, 2011 

The Definitive Guide? - New History Channel Documentary Anything But That...



Yes, when the promotional claims and even the title are that boastful, rarely does the show live up to its billing. Such was the case last night with Dangerous Films' "Bigfoot - the Definitive Guide" (History Channel). There is a huge sense of disappointment in the bigfoot enthusiast community this morning and rightly so.

We'll see what good things float to the top but certainly the big "misinformation" the producers and writers dumped on us last night were as follows.
(Besides not calling the Patterson-Gimlin Film by its full, modern-era name...)

That the Patterson-Gimlin film was responsible for the increase in sightings across the United States because of the social influence it had to cause "misidentifications." So, let's just dismiss any report since October 1967 because of a mass psychological phenomenon. What!? Maybe the film caused more people to be interested in the subject? and maybe more of them began to document sightings more thoroughly? and in the late 1990s, the advent of the internet spurred a dramatic increase in reports coming to light? Perhaps. :-)


Another point of contention was that they claimed there was no history of sightings in the heartland or eastern states prior to the Patterson-Gimlin film. I'm certain Scott McClean would have a few hundred archival newspaper articles stating otherwise.

And that sightings in the Pacific Northwest might be explained by native american & Canadian first nations shamans who go live in the wild for 10 years at a time to complete their training. What!?




These are just a couple of points of contention. Overall, it seemed that 3 of the 5 scientists (and the producers & writers) just didn't do their homework. The information exists on this subject but no television production (with the exception of "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science ) has portrayed the bigfoot/sasquatch phenomenon in an informed manner.

Of all the times you wish for less, this would be it. TWO HOURS of this - it just seemed to never end. And very little of it was any good.

Bigfoot - still waiting for the definitive television documentary.




 Wednesday, February 02, 2011 

Bigfoot on TV Tonight - also TV production coming to North Carolina this week

Two things are happening that involve sasquatch and television.

TONIGHT the History Channel airs the show "Bigfoot - the Definitive Guide" at 9 p.m. in most markets. (Repeated in the wee hours later tonight, too.)

Looks like it'll be worth a look. Jeff Meldrum is participating and some friends from British Columbia were involved in some local filming of their forest outings.


BIGFOOT: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE

A team of top scientists come together with one goal to create the definitive guide to Bigfoot. Does the creature exist? And if it does where is it? And how can it survive without being detected?

Using a new interactive map the team has plotted more than 10,000 Bigfoot type sightings from around the world. These sightings are of an unidentified creature which walks on two legs and is covered in a thick layer of hair. Many of theses sightings date back over 100 years. With their expert knowledge of the natural world they are able to dismiss nearly 90% of the sightings, but what emerges is a series of global hotspots that cannot be explained which indicate that something is out there.

The team examines these global hotspots and searches for explanations including new theories that suggest we may have been looking for the wrong creature all along?


A gathering of minds to discuss the possibility of sasquatch and its cousins. From left to right: Drs. Jack Rink, Anna Nekaris, William Sellars, Jeff Meldrum, and Ian Redmond. (photo credit: Alice Robinson, Dangerous Films)

PREMIERE: Wednesday, February 2, 2011: at 9pm/1:01am ET
LENGTH: 2 hours
PRODUCED BY: Dangerous Films


We'll see how well the producers and story editors know the subject! That'll be the real test of what they show and how it's presented. The production company is from England. I'll reserve comment until tomorrow morning. :-)


(WHAT THE HECK?!! this photo was in the Seattle Times announcement of tonight's show on the History Channel... Let's hope this is not an indication of what the Brits have in store for us!!)



(Mike Greene - here in the Six Rivers National Forest near Bluff Creek last September - will participate in the Animal Planet bigfoot show production in North Carolina this week. Photo credit: Tom Yamarone )

ALSO, an article about an Animal Planet bigfoot series that is in production and coming to North Carolina this week. Looks like there will be a public meeting and a "bigfoot drive" (like a tiger drive) in the Uwharrie National Forest. (what!? really?!)

From today's Montgomery Herald, the newspaper serving Montgomery County North Carolina:


Searching for Bigfoot
by Tammy Dunn

Producers, actors and a crew from Animal Planet, yes you read right, Animal Planet, are coming to Montgomery County. Why you ask….they are coming in hopes of catching a glimpse of “Bigfoot” in the Uwharrie National Forest. Yes, you also read that right, “Bigfoot” in the Uwharrie National Forest.

It appears that the Uwharrie National Forest has become the hot spot for “Bigfoot” sightings, especially if you leave a Zagnut candy bar around. Michael Greene of Salisbury says he captured a thermal image of “Bigfoot” in the forest, using a Zagnut candy bar.

Greene says on his Web site, Bushloper.net that, he has “Been on the trail of Bigfoot for some 20 years. He has traveled from Bella Coola, BC to the Teslin River, Yukon Territory, to Bluff Creek, CA, to the Olympic Peninsula, WA, to the Adirondack Mountains of NY State, Florida’s Everglades and to the forests of North Carolina, where he now makes his home. Greene has an MS in Behavioral Psychology, is a court-qualified Questioned Documents Expert and for 20 years was Chief Investigator for a State Fraud Bureau. He is a pilot and a former EMT and member of the National Ski Patrol.” Greene also describes his encounter on the Web site detailing the filming and the use of the candy bar.

Greene says he first encountered “Bigfoot” two years ago and that just like any other species there are multiple creatures. “They multiply and there has to be thousands of them,” said Greene. But Greene realizes there are skeptics and says, “Until I saw it myself, I did not believe it. It was like a fairy tale.”

Greene is not alone in his search. West Montgomery football coach John Pate also is an avid believer and field researcher. Pate and Greene are both members of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization, which will be a part of the search.

Pate is organizing a meeting at the Troy Fire Department for anyone interested in talking to the film crew about their own personal experiences with “Bigfoot” encounters. The meeting is set for Feb. 8 from 6-9 p.m.. Pate has been an investigator for the organization for four years, but says he has been looking for “Bigfoot” as a hobby for 15 years. “Some people hit golf balls, I go to the woods. It is my sanity.” Pate says he has not been so lucky as to see “Bigfoot” but he has heard him. Pate says he has talked to people that have seen “Bigfoot” in this county though and he hopes they will come out and share their story. “The one dominant thing about “Bigfoot” is his eyes. They are orange and have a dominant shine to them,” said Pate.

Pate says the field researchers are as diverse a group as you will ever meet. Doctors, businessmen and others are all gathering material for the organization. A drive in the forest to try and flush out “Bigfoot” will be held Saturday, Feb. 12.

Chris Cagle of the Eldorado Outpost has been working with the scouting crews from Animal Planet since they first came to the area. Cagle summed it up best when he told the producers, “If there was a Bigfoot in the forest, he would already be mounted on some guys wall.”


Link to Montgomery Herald article Feb 2, 2011




Yakima Bigfoot Round-Up Tom Yamarone - Songs For A Bigfoot World