Meldrum on Today Show

Cliff Barackman and Bart Cutino engage
Dr. Jeff Meldrum in discussion about footprint evidence.

I was hopeful for some constructive media attention when I saw this article:

ISU anatomy professor Meldrum, author of ‘Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science,’ interviewed for appearance on ‘Today Show’

Idaho State University associate professor of anatomy and anthropology Jeff Meldrum was interviewed about his sasquatch research this fall by a producer of NBC's "Today Show."
Meldrum's interview is slated to air Tuesday, Dec. 15, as part of a story on cryptozoology, the study of hidden animals, recognizing the public’s heightened interests in rare, elusive and mysterious creatures.

Jeff MeldrumAs a prominent researcher on the question of sasquatch's existence, Meldrum, author of "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science," was contacted to comment on the scientific evaluation of evidence of sasquatch, as compared with the activities of amateur "enthusiasts" interested in the subject.

The "Today Show" producer, Jennifer Long, asked questions such as "zoologically and evolutionarily speaking, could the animal people describe as Bigfoot exist in this day and age," "what is the most compelling evidence that sasquatch does or does not exist," and "what would be the implications of the discovery of Bigfoot."

The interview took place in Meldrum’s laboratory on the ISU campus, which houses one of the largest assemblage of hominid and reported sasquatch footprint casts. He also explained how the question of sasquatch, a supposed upright-walking giant ape, dovetails with his studies of the evolution of human adaptations for bipedal walking and running.

"My intent was to portray the science behind the legend, and point out the accumulating trace and physical evidence that a growing number of scholars and professional scientists are giving objective consideration, both publicly and privately," Meldrum said.



When the segment was televised, I realized that perhaps I had been too optimistic.

If you'd like to see it, click the footage below.

As is obvious by reading this blog you know that I don't mind a sense of humor about the bigfoot subject. I prefer intelligent discussion, or at least clever humor to accompany it.

They should have at least been funny. "Messing with sasquatch" got at least that right.

It didn't do the science nor experience justice. Not by a long shot. This might have made for a more interesting segment.

I guess the upside of this is that the 'squatch got national attention. Don Keating had a smile on his face for much of the segment, which played well for him.

I'd like to see some bigfooting on other media outlets, but perhaps with more of a focus on the possibility of these creatures' existence. Most folks don't know there is a substantial body of evidence to support the bigfoot hypothesis. I think the public deserves to know.

Also, at least the hosts got into the woods. Too many times the media criticizes bigfooters from behind a desk in NYC. These women went into the woods to scream and do wood knocks. I have to admit that was one step beyond what could have happened. Next time, perhaps they'd have better luck at night.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not offended by this. There's nothing to take personally. Their mockery is directly proportional to their own ignorance of the subject. As bigfooters, I believe we can educate the laymen on this fascinating subject to avoid the "laughing behind their hands" approach too often taken by the meda.

What do you think? Post a comment below.

Columbia Sportswear "Pioneer of the Outdoors" Update

As you probably already know, this past August I entered a contest to be a "Columbia Sportswear Pioneer of the Outdoors" by submitting a fun little video for voting and general perusal.

The voting went very, very well. Numerically, I clobbered the competition by a huge margin. There were some minor bumps along the way (or maybe two), but the bigfooting community rallied repeatedly behind the 'squatch to put bigfooting in its rightful place as the coolest thing to do in the woods. If you consider the "votes" and "views" that disappeared, the margin was incredible. That is a testament to the enthusiasm of the bigfooting community and the passion that burns in our soul for the 'squatch.

As noted in a previous blog (see links above), the voting didn't count for much as far as determining the winner of the contest, which is fine because it was still fun to see the numbers climb.

The voting was supposed to end on November 13th, but word only reached me a week ago as to the results of the contest:

"Hi Cliff,

First of all, thank you for participating in our search for pioneers of Columbia’s Greater Outdoors. No doubt, your passion for what you do is admirable and just the sort of thing we appreciate. Because of that, you’ve been selected as the runner-up in our Pioneers of The Greater Outdoors contest!

We’re planning on announcing the winner on our website around 12/15 but wanted to let you know in advance. Your video will continue to live within our pioneer archives on our site as an example of the kind of pioneering spirit we’re looking for.

For your effort, we would like to send you a $250 Columbia gift card. You can use it on our website or in any Columbia store. We just need your mailing address so we can drop it in the mail so please email us back and we’ll send it off.

Congratulations and thanks again for your contribution and commitment to the Greater Outdoors!

Sincerely,

The Columbia Marketing team"

Congrats to whoever won the contest!

I'm not bummed at all about not winning. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised because I do not remember any language in the official rules that indicated there was a "runner-up" prize. I am wholeheartedly embracing my runner up status, and couldn't be more proud of this minor accomplishment.

This was a kind gesture by Columbia, and I would like to publicly and vigorously thank them for their generosity!

"We're number two!"

Yesterday my videographer, Craig Flipy and I went shopping at the Columbia Outlet store and took advantage of their great sales prices. The $250 prize will go a long ways towards keeping us warm during our winter bigfooting trips over the next few months (even when that prize money is split between the both of us).

Good prices, great gear, and a whole lot of fun.

Lastly, I'd like to give a huge thanks to you, the bigfooting community. You rallied behind my silly little cause with enthusiasm and the appropriate sense of humor. You supported a fellow bigfooter, and more importantly our big hairy buddies by putting them in the eye of the general public in a prominent way (Columbia is a national brand, and now sasquatches will be a small, but visible part of their website).

I hope you had some fun with this. I know I did.

But now, what should I tackle next? If you have any ideas, contact me here: NorthAmericanBigfoot@gmail.com.

Sandy River Project Update 12/09

It's been a while since I've posted an update on the Sandy River Project. It's still up and running, and I thought you'd be interested in what I'm trying now.

I removed all the cameras from the two locations in late August. Since I had been continuously monitoring this property since the previous Spring, I thought that it couldn't hurt to let the property "cool down" a little by removing all indications of my presence for a while. When dealing with sasquatches, the less I interfere with their surroundings, the better for them and the more comfortable they'll feel. As Autumn Williams says, let them remain in control.

Throughout the Fall, the many human homesteads in the area are a steady and bountiful food supply for all animals. Fruit trees are literally dropping pounds of food on the ground, and gardens are producing their harvests. Domestic animals and their food are easily found or stealthily stolen and consumed by the occasional cougar, coyote, or sasquatch. A missing house cat would be emotionally missed, but its disappearance would not be unusual for this rural area.

With the onset of Winter, food will be in shorter supply for sasquatches and their prey. It is my hypothesis that sasquatches largely subsist on an omnivorous diet, with a heavy leaning towards eating meat, especially in the Winter months. So, in order to attract sasquatches to a homestead, I will endeavor to attract one of their primary prey: deer.

One of the many deer in the vicinity of the SRP Site #2.

There is some data that suggests that I am on the right track with my above approach. The famous "Siege at Honobia" is probably the best known example of attracting sasquatches by attracting their prey. (While a footprint cast rumored to be from the area seems to be a fabrication (and not presented in my online database), it was found and cast after the story unfolded. My friend Thom Powell, who wrote details about this possible habituation in his excellent book says the actual encounters were the real deal, so I'll go with it.)

A photograph of a possibly fabricated
footprint cast from the area of Honobia, OK.

There is also a not-widely-circulated photograph from Wisconsin that was displayed by Wally Hersom at the Yakima Bigfoot Round-Up this past May. In that case, the property owner was putting out feed for the local deer herd and accidentally captured one possible image of a sasquatch on a remote camera.

The former approach will be mine for the upcoming months.

I have now deployed one 50 lb. bag of feed corn on site at the Sandy River Project Site #2. Site #2 is still uninhabited, and therefore I assume has a relatively high chance of having the occasional sasquatch wander through. My intent is to have a steady and nutritious food supply for the local deer herds, especially as the Winter becomes more harsh and food becomes harder to find. I will visit the property to check on the corn supply and to change out the cameras every two to three weeks throughout the season. One such check was done this past weekend.

The corn bag was put out on November 21st. I put it in the area where a foul stench and an ominous presence was felt last Spring by a contractor who returned to the site to retrieve his tools after nightfall.

This past weekend, when I returned to the site where I left the corn bag, I was disappointed to find that almost no corn had been eaten. I expected to at least have the smaller forest critters go to town on my offering.

I gathered my cameras, deployed a couple more, and headed back to town thinking that the deer had not found the bag yet, which is probably partially true. When I checked the memory cards in the camera, I found another reason that might interfere with deer hanging out: dogs.

Two of several local dogs on patrol. They frequented the
area for several days at various hours of day and night.

I now think that I need to move the food attractant to an area that is farther back on the property and down in the riverbed away from roaming pets. The target area is harder to get to, and more importantly farther from the neighboring houses, which are several hundred yards away. Down in the creek bed, I have also found many ungulate prints, and tracked a cougar for 30 or 40 yards before losing its trail. Both of these latter facts are good indicators that this area might produce better results.

So, that's the current status of what's going on with this property. No recent activity has been reported, but then again nobody lives on site. I still think this property has a relatively good chance of attracting sasquatches, but first I need to give them a good reason to pop by every once in a while. With a steady food supply for their prey, I hope to also ring the dinner bell for the big guys. Wish me luck.

Baby 'Squatch

Will, my friend and field research partner, recently sent me a couple photos I'd like to share with you. Will's mother thought it was a good idea to make Will's son, Keegan a bigfoot costume for Halloween this year. I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree.

Will, with his littlefoot son, Keegan.

Well, Keegan didn't quite grow enough to fill the suit in time for Halloween, but these pics were taken a few weeks later. As you can see, he still has some growing to do.

Though I don't generally approve of people having fairly realistic bigfoot costumes, in this case I'll make an exception.

If I were dressed like that, I'd be smiling too (just not as cutely).

Under the tutelage of Will, Keegan will make a fine bigfooter someday. In the meantime, we'll just use recordings of him crying to draw in the 'squatches...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bigfooting is a pretty big part of my life, as you can probably tell. There are so many things about it that I just love. Since today is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to make a list of things that I'm thankful for from the bigfoot arena. This list is by no means complete, as most days present even more opportunities for me to be thankful for something...

Some things I'm thankful for:

Going bigfooting with great friends:

Socializing with great friends out of the field as well:

Being at amazing places:

Physical evidence:

Businesses that respect the 'squatch:

Bigfooting in Florida:

Tattoos of bigfoots surfing on logs:

Wildlife close up:

Bob Gimlin and his and Roger's contribution:

Amazing art:

The Hersom Project:

There's actually a lot more I'd like to mention. I'm thankful for that, too.

A cool thing about being thankful is that gratitude eliminates desires. Being grateful for what one has brings a sense of "having it all".

Happy Thanksgiving!

It Makes Me Smile

I have an impish sense of humor. I like to tease, joke, poke fun, and be mischievous. I always have. That's ultimately why I was kicked out of Boy Scouts. I don't think I'll ever outgrow it.

One of the ways this manifests itself is that I like to put my bigfoot business cards in places where other people will run across them. Sometimes I even hang out and watch people's reactions when they find and read the card, but more often than not I leave them there like paradigm-shifting landmines.

I put them in elevators, restrooms, bars, restaurants, or any other place that will hold them near eye level. I really enjoy putting them in places where almost nobody looks. That way, when somebody does find one, I know that person is likely eccentric and will probably take the time to check out the site.

Once, after dropping a few in a sporting goods store, I witnessed one of the employees go up to the manager holding my card. She was giggling heavily, but between breaths she asked the boss if he'd like to be a bigfoot researcher. They gaffawed and insinuated that whoever this Cliff guy is, he must be a total kook. I could hardly contain my glee at witnessing this exchange. I always remember that since sasquatches are real animals, the last laugh will be on them.

Additionally, I have a small army of volunteers doing this same thing for me across the country. I know that many of you have picked up one of my cards in airports or hotels throughout the United States. That was probably the work of one of my nameless minions.

More of a "me" than a "we". Still, have you seen one? Let me know!

Recently, a reader of this blog sent me an email with a link to a blog called PDX Occulture: http://www.pdxocculture.com/node/6174 Apparently this woman found one of my cards somewhere in downtown Portland and liked it. Thank you, "BeautifulPyre" for taking the time to share my card with your readers!

Besides the sheer coolness of having my efforts shared with another audience on this woman's blog, I think it's interesting to note that her brother saw a sasquatch in Skamania County. I'm often asking folks on the street if they, or someone they personally know, have ever seen a sasquatch, and here in Portland I get a "yes" about one time out of five. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but it probably averages out to about a 20% affirmative vote. This woman's blog entry on finding one of my cards just goes to affirm that.

If you found one of my cards somewhere, I'd love to know where. Feel free to post a comment below to share where you stumbled upon one.

Musings on Snoozing 'Squatches

Sighting reports are the bread and butter of bigfoot researchers. There are plenty of books that are basically retellings of the bucket loads of eyewitness accounts that have been reported and investigated over the years. Many websites feature sighting reports that have been followed up by investigators of varying abilities to certain degrees. I certainly have done my fair share of encounter investigations, though it's not where my main focus lies anymore.

Even though chasing reports is not what I tend to do, there are three things that I deem very important when it comes to sightings: the specific location, the time/date, and any interesting behaviors that were observed.

The location and time/date go hand in hand. By noting these factors, possible patterns can be hypothesized. This is what Peter Byrne was after when he looked for "geo-time" patterns while running the Bigfoot Research Project. Basically, where can these critters be found, and when? That's potentially useful stuff!

Peter Byrne and Cliff Barackman
August 2009

Besides the where and when, the other valuable thing in sighting reports is the observed behavior of the creature(s). These behaviors might shed some light on what we as field researchers could be looking for.

Which brings me to the real point of this blog entry. I recently received an email from a witness who calls herself "Carol". The following is her email, edited only for punctuation:

"In 1968 I lived in the Bay Area of California. A couple of young men friends and I took a car trip to where I believe was inland from Highway 1 from the Monterey area. We hiked into a wooded area that had a deep bed of fallen leaves. I stopped and turned to say something to my companions when there was a shuffling, rustling sound right beside me. When I looked, I saw a (how can I best describe this...) maybe 4' tall, rounded stance figure as though almost crouching and hunched forward; a broad-bodied creature that appeared to have come up from under the leaves where it may have been napping, I thought. The head/shoulder differentiation was quite slight, though I saw it from the rear. I am assuming it was a juvenile, since it was so small, compared to the extraordinary size a mature adult is purported to be. This creature did not pause, but scuttled away from us, disappearing very quickly into the thickly wooded distance. It did not move like, for instance, a bear, but was upright as it ran. The back was covered with a medium brown fur-like hair that was very thick and long. The three of us who were observers were startled and amazed in the same instance at the brevity of this encounter. The only thing we could say at the time was... Sasquatch!? Well, I've not told many people of this experience, but it remains vividly in my memory. I don't know if there have been other sightings in this area, but I thought since there seems to be ongoing research on the existence of these creatures, my firsthand experience might be of some use."


First of all, thank you, "Carol" for reporting this to me. I appreciate all of the stories of encounters that I receive through my website.

This encounter report caught my attention for a couple reasons. First, I have done some work in the mountains south of Monterey, CA. There are some very remote areas that are next to impossible to penetrate despite the proximity to densely populated urban areas. Also, I personally know several investigators from this part of California, so I'm always looking for ways to support them, usually by passing along information, as they often do for me.

Secondly, what really interested me about this report was that the juvenile sasquatch was thought to be napping under a layer of leaves. It's probably a fairly safe assumption that juvenile animals mirror the behavior of the adults of their species (they are learning how to be adults, after all), so what can this tell us about the sleeping habits of sasquatches?

A snoozing gorilla in its nest.

I've heard of bigfoots making nests, bedding down in the open, and being found in the thickest cover one can imagine. All of these behaviors mirror the other apes' habits, including our own.

It might also be valuable to ponder where other large omnivores bed down in the same environment. I've looked into where bears bed down and have found they sleep in a variety of areas, usually under thick cover (but not always). A park ranger in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California once told me that bears often sleep in the tree tops in that particular area. I've also heard of bears sleeping out in the open near mature trees. That would be kind of like sleeping next to a fire escape for them...

A black bear sleeping in the tree tops

Perhaps sasquatches sometimes sleep in the tree tops? Certainly, bigfooters don't spend enough time looking up. Since sleeping sasquatches are rarely seen, they must hide themselves pretty well. I suspect (and this is only a hunch) that sasquatches sleep in the thickest, nastiest brush they can find, and probably on the steep slopes surrounding their favorite feeding grounds where human traffic would be least likely. These bedding sites would likely have commanding views of the surrounding area, and are probably close to a clean running water source. Of course, this is just a guess. I've also heard a tale or two of bigfoots sleeping out in the open. When I stumble on a sleeping sasquatch, I'll let you know where I found it.

"Carol's" report might shed some light into what some sasquatches do at least some of the time. It seems like a good strategy if the leaf litter is thick enough. Could the big ones do this? Probably not as effectively using just leaf litter.

If you have any thoughts on the matter, feel free to leave a comment below.