The Bigfoot Discovery Project

Bigfoot Discovery Project


The Bigfoot Discovery Project (BDP) accepts the Patterson/Gimlin Film of Oct 20, 1967 as THE type specimen for the Northwestern Bigfoot or Sasquatch. The BDP will add to the dialogue on the implications of the impending "discovery of bigfoot" by Western science and the general public, while offering hypotheses as to bigfoot's place in the biological and social order. If the anthropologists are right, the only thing separating us from the forest giants is our culture. So let's revel in our humanness while acknowledging the beauty of the bigfoot's minimalistic, yet ecologically sound interactions with Mother Earth. The BDP will seek to facilitate the discovery of bigfoot by sharing information, and attempting to "flesh out" the hairy biped's dossier. There is a large enough database of sightings and encounters now available to create a hypothetical "profile" of the bigfoot creatures. Accepting the P/G film as genuine, we have a model to compare with verbal descriptions in an effort to get a consensus on the bigfoot's physical characteristics as well. This will be done against a backdrop of local history, as this area was once (and apparently still is) home to bigfoot, as were all the forests of the Pacific coast, and beyond. CapriTaurus has been an arts and crafts gallery, a folk music center and manufacturer of musical instruments. Now its the home of the Bigfoot Discovery Project. The new CapriTaurus "complex," once complete, will include exhibits of local history, unidentified hairy bipeds, and folk music. It will house a research library of books, periodicals, and tapes on subjects ranging from ABSMs to UFOs alongside art, handcrafts and collectibles. We hope that a visit here will "edutain" you, and help to open your eyes and mind to things you may not have thought about before. The Source of My Obsession In the summer of 1950, my parents and I traveled to Humboldt County frequently on camping and fishing trips. My Dad had once operated a sawmill in Laytonville, near the Avenue of the Giants. My Mom was a very dedicated driftwood collector. She loved to put on old tennis shoes and hike up and down the riverbeds in search of sculptured wood smoothed by the action of water. Driftwood was especially popular during that era as garden accents and objects of art to be displayed in the home. Because of the time my Dad had spent in Humboldt when he owned the mill, it was the area of choice for these family outings. It was during one of these trips that I first saw a bigfoot. It was early in the morning, and we were camped on a river beach. It was probably on the South Fork of the Eel River as that's where most of our outings took place. My Dad loved to cook freshly caught trout for breakfast, and I suspect that's what he and Mom were doing when I wandered off down a trail next to the river. I was between 4 and 5 years old at the time and shouldn't have gone off on my own that way, but I did. I remember passing through a bunch of tall straight plants (probably reeds of some sort) and as I brushed them away from my face and stepped out on to a sand bar I looked up into the gaze of a very large man completely covered in bushy dark hair, with nothing on but a rather poorly fitting, torn shirt. I looked at the hairy man, and he looked at me, then my parents started screaming for me, "Mikey, Mikey where are you!?" Fascinated by the sight before me I hesitated a moment, then turned and ran towards the campsite to reassure my parents that I was all right. They were relieved when they saw me, but as they began scolding me for running off alone, I insisted they follow me to see the "big hairy man." We returned to the spot on the sandbar, but, of course, the "big man" was no longer there. They had no reason to doubt that I had seen somebody, so they assured me it was nothing to fear, "It was probably a tramp, just forget about it." Now I don't remember looking for tracks or any proof of what I saw, but at 5 years old I was still willing to take my parents' word that everything was OK; the incident was something to forget. So that's what I did until 20-some years later. While reading one of the many bigfoot books I have collected over the years, I came across a passage that jogged my memory. A woman described a sighting she had while hiking near the Eel River in Humboldt County. The creature she saw was "wearing a shirt." Reading that phrase gave me an immediate flashback memory of the event I described above. I suddenly knew the origin of my life-long obsession. I began methodically collecting articles and other memorabilia about the "abominable snowman," in 1951, when the photos of mysterious footprints on Mount Everest were printed in newspapers around the world. I particularly enjoyed reading in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories about Scrooge McDuck going in search of the "Lost Crown of Genghis Khan," which was eventually found in the lair of "Goo, the Abominable Snowman!" I read every book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes series. I bought and read over and over again Ivan Sanderson's book Abominable Snowman, Legend Come to Life when it was published in 1961. I watched with great anticipation, during the mid '60's, for the delivery of the San Francisco Chronicle when they ran a series of articles about the "man animal," of the Pacific Northwest. I went "ape," over hairy bipeds, and primates in general, in a big way. __Michael Rugg	Was on Saturday August 9, 2008 Felton, California Featuring presentations by: Dr. Jeff Meldrum Richard Noll Kathy Moskowitz Strain David Paulides ...and bigfoot songs by Tom Yamarone I'm sorry if you missed it The event was cosponsored by NABS For a look at the announcement click on the graphic above or here There are SO MANY people to THANK for helping with this event. It was an all volunteer effort on behalf of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum....so here goes: the following people volunteered their time and assistance with Bigfoot Discovery Day II: Scott McClean - designed the event poster Jeff Eltringham - website design Tom "Yams" Yamarone - ticket sales, event organization, promotion Lance McVay - Audio/Visual operator at event Mark Stenberg, Cliff Barackman, Tom Cousino, Ralph Jack - video taped the event Matt Bento - support of event and BBQ Ralph Jack - donated time and money, event poster Jim Duffy - key support at museum and Bigfoot Resort Mike Barrow - help at museum and Bigfoot Resort Mellow Russell - working in the museum Colton Jack - donned the bigfoot costume Tom Cousino - made initial contact with presenters For assistance at the event or donated items: Chris Murphy, Eric Altman, James "Bobo" Fay, Bob Gimlin, Monica Rawlins, Craig Woolheater, Lee Murphy, Jay Murphy, Jerry Hein, Scott McClean, Bart Cutino, Bob Strain, Todd Hale, Joan McVay, Gabbie McVay, Joyce Kearney, Terry Smith, Sandra Maisel, Brandon Kiel, Bill Tucker, Mark Stenberg (I hope I have everyone; if not, let me know and accept my apology! we can edit this post!) Thank you to everyone who volunteered and donated to this great event!! And especially a BIG THANK YOU to all who pitched in and helped on the spot! and thank you to Jeff Meldrum, Rick Noll, Kathy Moskowitz Strain, David Paulides and Bob Gimlin for participating To see photos from the event go here Comments from the Curator: Bigfoot Press Conference - 8/15/2008 By Michael Rugg I attended the Press Conference today in Palo Alto and spoke directly to Tom Biscardi. As most folks in the bigfoot research community know, Tom has been fooled in the past by hoaxers. I personally am content to state that as a fact, but I'm not willing to state with authority that Biscardi has committed many DELIBERATE hoaxes. My impression is that he is first and foremost a promoter and an expert in hyperbole. He has also been guilty of self aggrandizement. That makes him visible in the public's eyes, while having the side-effect of making him seem like PT Barnum to many of his fellow bigfooters. Regardless, I chose to give him the benefit of the doubt, concluding that although he has indeed been fooled a bunch of times by hoaxers, he may have believed he was committing only a few "white lies" in an effort to "pump up the hype." (I'm acting as devil's advocate here.) With all of this in mind, I entered the press conference convinced this was going to be just another one of those cases where Tom has leaped to judgement prematurely, and been duped by the two men from Georgia. I figured that the good old boys who found the body would keep it "sequestered away" until it turned up "missing" due to "mysterious circumstances" or "confiscated" by some unnamed government agency. But that's apparently NOT what happened. I asked Tom several times if he had possession of the body, and he said "yes." I said, "so your people are with the body RIGHT NOW as we speak?" He said yes. I asked if Jeff Meldrum would be called in and he said no, due to a disagreement between them in the past. I asked if the tissue sample had been mailed to Curt Nelson and he said "no, it was hand delivered." (The problem is there's no properly documented chain of custody; no one witnessed the tissue being collected from the body.) I suggested that he should assemble a panel of respected, impartial scientists to authenticate the corpse ASAP in public. Then get the sample and hand it over for testing so everybody is sure of the reality of the body and the chain of custody of the samples to be tested. Tom says he will be assembling a team of experts and that there will be a recorded autopsy with the press invited. When asked if the body will be brought to CA he said no. So the operative phrase at this point should be "Show us the Monkey!" Once we're all convinced the corpse is really a corpse, this whole process can get underway with a lot less skeptical chatter. Please Tom, if you are telling the truth you should show us the body SOON! Link to exclusive pictures The Georgia Bigfoot Hoax Aug 18, 2008 According to the online chatter, Steve Kulls (The "Squatchdetective") has been to the secure location in Indiana, viewed the "body" and pronounced it a hoax to researcher Sean Forker, who announced it on his blogtalk radio show "The Sasquatch Experience" Sunday evening (the 17th). If this is true, then it becomes obvious that Tom Biscardi has lied again. When I asked him if he viewed the body he said, "Yes, but if you mean did I grab it by the head and try to pull it off? the answer is no." I responded that maybe he should have. I spoke to Tom up close just after the press conference last Friday (the 15th) and I do believe he was convinced the body was real at that time. As hard as it is to fathom, he apparently made the biggest blunder of his bigfoot career this time. I don't see how he could possibly bounce back after this hoax is revealed, and that is probably for the best, as this kind of thing gives all bigfooters a bad name, and makes the professional skeptics tickled pink. Maybe Tom has finally learned the danger in those hyped up "white lies". In this case either 1) he lied and never actually examined the body in person, (2) he is actually the full-fledged hoaxer most people think he is, or (3) he is the worst judge of real bigfoot flesh on the planet. Anyway, Steve Kulls is supposed to reveal the details tonight at 6 pm pst on "Squatchdetective Radio." To see my comments on Biscardi from several of our newsletters: Vol 1 No 3 July 2005, p.4, Vol 1 No 4 August 2005, p.1, Vol 1 No 5 September 2005, p.1, Vol 1 No 10 Febuary 2006, p.1, Vol 2 No 2 June 2006, p.4, Vol 2 No 3 July 2006, p.4 The NEXT CHAPTER Aug 19, 2008 Last night online Steve Kulls (the man who introduced Biscardi to the Georgia men) read a statement and answered questions about the "bigfoot body." He gave a timeline breakdown on how the hoax went down, Fox News was given the exclusive scoop because Biscardi has worked with them in the past. Kulls waited until 10:10 EST to make the statement due to the promise to Fox, The jist of it is this, referring above to the three choices I offered yesterday to explain Tom's actions, it turns out to be both (1) he lied, and never really saw the thawed body and (3) contrary to his claim of the opposite, he is quite obviously the WORST bigfoot hunter in the country. He was indeed duped again, but didn't know it until very early Sunday (17th) morning. He then called the two "good old boys" and they admitted the hoax and agreed to meet Biscardi at 8 AM to sign a document admitting guilt and promising to return the money they had been advanced. Biscardi got to their Palo Alto hotel room only to find out they had skipped town. The statement by Kulls is available online, but I don't think this drama has played out yet. The two men will either have to disappear and go into hiding or reappear soon with a mitigating explanation that absolves them of the fraud. I for one plan to "stay tuned" as the biggest circus may be yet to come, and the true "ringmaster" yet to be revealed. The LAST WORD Aug 25, 2008 Apparently Tom Biscardi convinced a man named Lett that the body in the freezer was real and he put up $50,000 in cash and took possession of the body laden freezer in Georgia and transported it to an undisclosed location near Muncie, Indiana. It was there that Biscardi's team started the defrosting process on Friday while the Press Conference was taking place. At the time of the conference Steve Kulls was "in the air" flying to Indiana to view the body. Biscardi agreed to pay Lett 50% interest within 90 days for the privilege of taking over ownership of the "corpse." The two Georgia men are now back in Georgia, with a Lawyer who is prepared to defend them from prosecution for this fraud. They plan to use Biscardi as a fallguy, blaming the press Conference on him and claiming they were only doing "What they were told." although I'm reticent to defend Tom Biscardi in this, as he obviously lied when he said he had actually viewed and poked and prodded the body, I don't think even he would be foolish enough to put out $50,000 for something he KNEW to be fake. Was he "blinded by dollar signs" as Autumn Williams suggests? You bet. Did he shell out the money thinking he really had something? I'd bet on that. This is all I have to say about this for now. The whole thing got way too much press. But I think Tom Biscardi may have finally learned a lesson. I hope so. --Michael Rugg	Frequently asked questions Local Bigfoot sightings Progress on the premises Teddy Roosevelt Connection Hoaxer's Hall of Infamy South Felton Timeline Bigfoot Discovery Book Bigfoot Discovery Project Blog Museum Membership: We are now accepting museum memberships (offering discounts, a monthly newsletter and so forth.) Click HERE for more information. Our regular museum meetings will usually be held on the third Sunday of every month at 6 pm 2008 Meeting Schedule February 17 Field Equipment March 15 Saturday Night Movies April 20 Plan Field Outing May 24 Parade & BBQ June 22 Bigfoot Inn Countdown July 20 Planning BDDII August 9 Bigfoot Discovery Day II September 21 Debriefing October 19 BF Discovery Weekends November 16 TBA No meeting in December Museum Newsletter Archive Here are past issues of our Museum Newsletter. Become a member and receive the newsletter when it is first published, along with an overview of the activities of the Museum Study Group (meeting minutes). Non-Members will have access to past issues here, which will be archived from time to time. Non-members will not have access to the meeting minutes. Newsletter photos by Tom Yamarone, Mike Rugg and others. Vol 1 No 1 May 2005 Premiere Issue (1 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 2 June 2005 Bellingham Conference (1.8 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 3 July 2005 Zayante Habitat (1.1 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 4 August 2005 School Visit (790 kb .pdf) Vol 1 No 5 September 2005 Marx-Biscardi (788kb) Vol 1 No 6 October 2005 Patterson-Gimlin (876kb .pdf) Vol 1 No 7 November 2005 Bluff Creek (1.8 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 8 December 2005 Historical Archives (1.3 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 9 January 2006 John Green Trip (1.10 MB .pdf) Vol 1 No 10 Febuary 2006 Pee Wee Herman (1.0 MB .pdf ) Vol 1 No 11 March 2006 Vance Orchard (2.0 MB) Vol 1 No 12 April 2006 Membership (848kb) Here are past issues of Volume 2 of our Newsletter: Vol 2 No 1 May 2006 Malaysian Bigfoot (744kb) Vol 2 No 2 June 2006 Grand Opening (864kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 3 July 2006 Clawed (608kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 4 August 2006 Museum Campout (776kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 5 September 2006 Loch Lomond (672kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 6 October 2006 Autumn Williams (864kb .pdf ) Vol 2 No 7 November 2006 Rummage Sale (394kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 8 December 2006 Yowie Authors (376kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 9 January 2007 Jaimie Jackson (504kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 10 Febuary 2007 CA BFRO (416kb .pdf ) Vol 2 No 11 March 2007 Bigfooter Visit (324kb .pdf) Vol 2 No 12 April 2007 Bonny Doon BF (436kb .pdf) Here are past issues of Volume 3 of our Newsletter: Vol 3 No 1 May 2007 Discovery Day Prep (404kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 2 June 2007 Bigfoot in Parade (496kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 3 July 2007 Report on Bigfooot Discovery Day (756kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 4 August 2007 Pogonip Bigfoot (776kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 5 September 2007 Gimlin Outing (672kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 6 October 2007 40th Anniversary (864kb .pdf ) Vol 3 No 7 November 2007 40th in Willow Creek (328kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 8 December 2007 MonsterQuest DNA (528kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 9 January 2008 Pogonip Bigfoot (388kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 10 February 2008 Molar Tooth Found (365kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 11 March 2008 Cal Bigfoot Exhibit (728kb .pdf) Vol 3 No 12 April 2008 Bigfoot Resort (464kb .pdf )