Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy

Could Bigfoot Live Here?

Monday, 20 October 2008

In conjunction with the 2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference, the TBRC was asked to present a science lesson on the morning of October 17, 2008, to seventh-grade students at the Jefferson Junior High School, located in Jefferson, Texas. The lesson was videotaped for presentation to the remainder of the seventh-grade science classes throughout the day. The TBRC lecture was the opening lesson in an ecology module that includes the bigfoot connection as a way of engaging students. The teaching event was coordinated by the Collins Learning Academy, also located in Jefferson.



A set of specific Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards had to be addressed, including the following Seventh Grade Science standards:

The student knows that there is a relationship between organisms and the environment. The student is expected to

1. identify components of an ecosystem;
2. observe and describe how organisms including producers, consumers and decomposers live together in an environment and use existing resources;
3. describe how different environments support different varieties of organisms; and
4. observe and describe the role of ecological succession in ecosystems.

The Collins Academy is sponsoring an essay contest to answer the question, "Could bigfoot live here?" The essay will serve as part of the summative assessment of the ecology module. Students are expected to either refute or make a case based on their understanding of ecological principles. Judging will be based on how well students used these concepts to make their case. Winners will receive cash prizes, starting at $100. Dr. Jeff Meldrum donated a copy of his book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science to go to the winner of the essay contest.



This event may represent the first time that an organization such as the TBRC, dedicated to substantiating the existence of the sasquatch, has been invited to help a public school with its science curriculum.

TBRC board member Alton Higgins, a biology professor at Mid-America Christian University, located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, prepared and gave the presentation. Henner Fahrenbach and Jeff Meldrum, both TBRC advisors, and TBRC board members Craig Woolheater, Chris Buntenbah and Daryl Colyer accompanied Higgins.



Later that same day, Meldrum and Fahrenbach gave presentations related to putative sasquatch ecology to Jefferson High School science classes.

2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference

Sunday, 27 July 2008

The Logo: Daniel Falconer

Click for a map of the location.

Click here for pre-registration information.

General admission is $20.

The schedule for the 2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference:

Doors open at 9:00 A.M.

10:00 - 10:50 A.M.: Daryl Colyer - An Analysis of TBRC Incident Reports from the Ark-La-Tex-Oma Region.

11:00 - 11:50 A.M.: Alton Higgins - Image Analysis: Costumes, Hoaxes and Misidentifications.

11:50 A.M. - 12:50 P.M.: LUNCH - student fundraiser box lunches are available for $8.00 at the door (limited number).

12:50 - 1:40 P.M.: David Paulides and Harvey Pratt - discussion of Paulides's book The Hoopa Project based on Paulides's personal experiences in the Hoopa and Bluff Creek areas of Northern California; Pratt, police forensic artist for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, will discuss his rendering of eyewitness accounts used in Paulides's book.

1:50 - 2:10 P.M.: Dana Holyfield - presentation of intriguing footage from Louisiana and research of the so-called "Honey Island Swamp Monster."

2:15 - 2:40 P.M.: Kathy Strain - new book entitled Giants, Cannibals and Monsters.

2:45 - 3:00 P.M.: Robert Swain - discussion of his work.

3:00 - 3:15 P.M.: Intermission.

3:15 - 4:00 P.M.: Dr. Henner Fahrenbach - Sasquatch Behavior.

4:10 - 5:00 P.M.: Panel discussion moderated by Brian Brown.

5:00 P.M.: Conference closed.

6:00 - 7:00 P.M.: Private catered dinner; limited number of tickets available at the door or through advance purchase on TBRC website.

7:00 - 8:00 P.M.: Dr. Jeff Meldrum - for those who choose to join us for the private catered dinner, Dr. Meldrum will be discussing his recent expedition to China in search of the Chinese "yeren," which is the Chinese version of bigfoot. 

T-shirt design by ideapark. T-shirts may only be purchased at the 2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference.

2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference Speakers:

Peter Byrne

We regret to announce that Peter Byrne has had to cancel his appearance at the 2008 Texas Bigfoot Conference. Byrne sent word to the TBRC that he "went over a small cliff" while "looking for bigfoot" and "fell about 20 feet." With a badly injured leg, Byrne felt that he would not be able to make the flight or stand for any length of time.

Byrne sent his apologies.

Jeff Meldrum




Jeff Meldrum is a physical anthropologist and an Idaho State University professor. He is an affiliate curator with the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Meldrum is the author of the 2006 book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science and has appeared in a number of film projects regarding the subject, such as MonsterQuest, Giganto: the Real King Kong, and Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science.

Dr. Meldrum is widely regarded as one of the world's leading authorities concerning possible sasquatch-related evidence. He has discovered tracks and experienced possible sasquatch encounters. His laboratory contains a large collection of putative sasquatch foot castings.

Dr. Meldrum will be the featured speaker at the fundraising dinner, to be held Saturday night after the conference.

W. Henner Fahrenbach

Sasquatch Behavior



W. Henner Fahrenbach is a retired zoologist. He worked for thirty years as Chairman of the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy at the Oregon Regional Primate Center in Beaverton, Oregon. He has published numerous papers in a variety of journals in the fields of histology and neurobiology, in addition to several analyses of sasquatch biology.

Dr. Fahrenbach has investigated many sasquatch sighting reports and is the custodian of the world's largest collection of possible sasquatch hairs. He has appeared in several documentaries pertaining to the sasquatch phenomenon and has spoken widely on the subject, including a sasquatch Biology class held at Portland Community College. He is a member of the TBRC Board of Advisors. He currently resides in the eastern edge of the greater Phoenix metro area where he enjoys astronomy, gardening, mountain hiking and natural history.

Dana Holyfield



Dana Holyfield is the granddaughter of the late Harlan Ford, who reported sighting a mysterious bipedal apelike creature in the early 1960s. She grew up in Slidell, Louisiana and has written several books. Holyfield has produced a documentary of the elusive beast now known as the Louisiana Honey Island Swamp Monster. Her 60-minute film, The Legend of the Honey Island Swamp Monster, takes the viewer into the wet swamplands believed to be the home of this legendary creature.

Featured in the film is an exclusive interview with Mr. Billy Mills, a co-worker and close friend of Harlan Ford, who was with Ford during the original 1963 sighting that occurred during a hunting trip. Mills retells their experience for the first time on camera and leaves little doubt that what Ford stated in the In Search Of documentary was truthful. Portions of Holyfield's documentary, which features startling footage of what appears to be an upright hairy biped captured by Ford in the 1970s, will be shown during her presentation.

David Paulides

David Paulides holds two degrees from the University of San Francisco, and has a professional background that includes twenty years in law enforcement and senior executive positions in the technology sector. A boyhood camping experience with his father in the late 1960s sparked his life long interest in the sasquatch.

In 2004, he was part of the founders group that formed North America Bigfoot Search (NABS) where his investigative and analytical skills and experience were invaluable in researching bigfoot sightings. He spent three years living among the Hoopa tribal members, listening to, researching and recording their bigfoot stories.

The Hoopa Project is his first book, based on his experiences in the Hoopa and Bluff Creek area of Northern California. Paulides is currently the Executive Director of NABS. He makes his permanent residence in Los Gatos, California. 

Brian Brown is the founder of the web's most popular bigfoot discussion website, The Bigfoot Forums. In addition, he produces the acclaimed Bigfoot Information Project Podcast (BIPcast) and co-hosts The Bigfoot Show with Scott Herriot and Paul Vella. Brian was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers (AIBR) where he hopes to help the group foster the development of organizations like the TBRC across the continent.

Brian's interest in the sasquatch is rooted in the stories he heard growing up in his native California and is inspired by the work of John Green. He is a partner at an interactive marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he lives with his wife Kellie and his two children.

Brian will be the Master of Ceremonies for the Conference and will also moderate a panel discussion of the speakers from 4:00 to 5:00 P.M. The panel discussion will likely later be included in a Bigfoot Information Project Podcast (BIPcast).

J. Robert Swain


 
J. Robert Swain is the artist and creator of a series of cartoons about the sasquatch called Laughsquatch. He is a native of Oklahoma, has lived in Arkansas and Michigan and currently lives in central Mississippi. In the real world, Robert serves as a missionary with Gospel Opportunities Evangelism to the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America and Europe. Robert has traveled to over 20 countries on four continents doing mission work; he publishes religious books and literature through GO Publications and short-run secular books through Swain Publications. Robert is also a Civil War reenactor and is a member of the Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers.

In 2007, Robert started drawing one-frame cartoons about bigfoot and individuals in the bigfoot research community. Currently, with almost 300 cartoons on this subject, Robert is in the process of getting Laughsquatch syndicated. Besides entertaining his readers, Robert hopes to use the cartoons to educate the public as well. Robert and his son Jamie, age ten, were recently interviewed on Let's Talk Bigfoot where they discussed their experiences and his funny cartoons. More about Robert, the cartoons and 30 sample cartoons can be found at www.laughsquatch.com. 

Alton Higgins

Image Analysis



Alton Higgins has degrees in Wildlife Biology and Zoology; he is a biology professor at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

An experienced birder, Higgins worked as a field biologist for the Center for Environmental Studies at Arizona State University where he focused primarily on censusing vertebrate populations in riparian habitat.

Higgins is an active member of the TBRC, participating in field research, investigations and camera-trap operations in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. In his own words, he has "seen, heard and experienced things that cannot be attributed to currently accepted animal species." He has spoken yearly at conferences and many other settings since 2003, including the Willow Creek International Bigfoot Symposium.

Daryl Colyer

An Analysis of TBRC Incident Reports from the Ark-La-Tex-Oma Region

Daryl Colyer spent his early life in and around Bloomburg, Texas, just a few miles from Fouke, Arkansas, before his family eventually moved near Waco, Texas. From early in his childhood, he spent much time hunting, fishing and being in the outdoors. He later served for six years in US Air Force Intelligence as an airborne linguist. In college he studied History and International Relations.

Later, he met and became close friends with Alton Higgins and Craig Woolheater. He began to work closely with the two men, interviewing hundreds of witnesses in the process, and experiencing his own visual encounter with an upright hair-covered animal near the Trinity River and the Big Thicket National Preserve of Southeast Texas.

These days, Colyer is part of a management team of a credit union in Central Texas. He enjoys avidly following the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team; lifting weights and working out; hiking and being in the outdoors; and actively researching and investigating with the TBRC, where he serves on the Board of Directors. Colyer has been a featured speaker at the Texas Bigfoot Conference since 2004.

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BIPcast 5: Bigfoot in the Big Thicket

Why Did the Wildlife Cross the Road?

Sunday, 22 June 2008

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Friday, 13 June 2008

Illusion of Reality

Thursday, 12 June 2008

In an interesting June 2008 BioScience paper, authors McKelvey, Aubry and Schwartz, USDA Forest Service scientists, liken anecdotal evidence to an illusion of reality. Specifically, they suggest that anecdotal statements regarding the occurrence of rare or elusive animal species, sometimes reported by trained and experienced biologists and "often accompanied by inconclusive physical evidence, such as castings or pictures of tracks, fuzzy or distant photographs, or nondiagnostic acoustic recordings," are "inherently unreliable." This unreliability factor increases with the rarity of the species, leading the authors to propose adopting a "gradient of evidentiary standards for occurrence records that increases in rigor with species' rarity." They argue that, in the case of undocumented species, the only acceptable evidentiary standard is a specimen. Three case studies were presented in support of the authors' contentions: the fisher (Martes pennanti) in the northwestern states, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) in California, and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) in southeastern states.

There seems little in this paper that is objectionable, although some may find some of the authors' statements to be debatable. For example, concluding that "the ivory-billed woodpecker probably became extinct in the southeastern United States by the middle of the 20th century," based on the failure, to this point, of researchers and volunteers to secure definitive evidence, could be construed as a bit presumptuous given the expertise, background and reliability of those Cornell and Auburn researchers who are convinced that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is indeed not extinct.

The paper provides no alternative explanation for the fact that many sighting reports of rare or elusive species "are located in areas where the sighting is plausible, according to historical information on the organism's distribution and ecological relations." Minimizing the significance of such correlations potentially obscures the reality that some rare species may, in fact, exist as indicated by occurrence data. Such appears to be illustrated by the case of the Pacific states fisher as presented in the paper. Follow-up surveys, based on anecdotal reports, documented population pockets scattered throughout the indicated range. While the probable extent of the species' distribution was evidently overestimated, the range and habitat and existence of fishers was corroborated.

Not all anecdotal accounts of rare or elusive species are valid. That cannot be argued. The same thing is true of undocumented species reports, at least with regard to the sasquatch. However, the TBRC takes great care to sort out information that is dubious. Posted reports from reliable witnesses, including biologists and comparable professionals, demonstrate ecological relationships that cannot be reasonably dismissed as coincidental. The TBRC maintains that compelling photographic/videographic images can serve to document the existence of an undocumented species. Prominent scientists have endorsed that position. Upon recognition of the validity of the photographic/videographic evidence, additional efforts would then be necessary to secure the kind of indisputable physical evidence to enable the formal classification of either a new species or the rediscovery of a species thought extinct.

Source: BioScience. Vol. 58 No. 6. The Use of Anecdotal Occurrence Data for Rare or Elusive Species: The Illusion of Reality and a Call for Evidentiary Standards.

"There Are Some Who Doubt Their Existence"

Tuesday, 10 June 2008

Fishermonkeys?

Tuesday, 10 June 2008

The Bigger Thicket Update

Friday, 09 May 2008

Baseball and Bigfoot

Friday, 09 May 2008