Happy News

I have always been amazed at those in the general public who think people who research mysterious animals, do not have "regular" lives. Many think we are crazy, or unable function in normal society. When I tell people (who are not involved in the field of bigfoot research) I am a Paralegal and, a Bigfoot Researcher, they are simply amazed.

I often wonder,

If it's because the people involved in this are usually afraid to discuss anything about themselves?

In all honesty, researchers in this "community" are harder on each other, than the general public, or scientists ever thought of being. While I do not enjoy the idea of discussing my life, I think many outside of this research have found me easier to talk to, simply because I have.

Is "Community" a good word?

To describe the collective group of those who have thrown their hats into the ring trying to solve the mystery of bigfoot??

I am not really sure to be honest. This collective group spends more time beating up on each other, and just being rude in general - than we act like a community.

Take my situation for example.

At the beginning of this year, my personal life was put under the "microscope" by a select group of individuals. I had many telling me I needed to respond, and respond publically. I had others, telling me to not respond and let it go away..

I did both. I responded publically, and then I simply took a break from it all.

The discussion of my personal life continued but, I simply started spending my time elsewhere. Elsewhere being any place other than the various message boards, other than my own. I was not being bashed by the "general public", I was being attacked, and attacked viciously by a few within this community. Why? Who knows the real reason for it all.. At this point, I simply do not care either.

I must be honest and tell you all, I do owe that "select group" a big Thank you!!

Why you ask? Well, because while they were doing their level best to hurt me personally and professionally, I met someone who has changed my life, for the better.

That's right. While this group thought they had chased me away, I had simply been busy, having a life seperate from this research.

Sometimes we are suprised by those who enter our lives.

I became friends with a fellow researcher on a site I frequented often. We became friends, slowly. Yeah I was a bit reluctant to take on any "new friends". But, this person understood what I was going through, and was happy to simply be my friend. We talked for hours about everything bigfoot, and just life in general. He very quickly became someone I knew I could always confide in.. I even began looking forward to our conversations. It felt good to laugh, and even better knowing I could make someone else laugh.

These last few months have been very exciting for me, and exhausting all at the sametime. What's even better, the happiness I have felt because of this person, has far outweighed any hurt feelings I may have had otherwise.

Why am I telling you all this?

Because I have happy news. This woman (who has been focused like a snipers scope on the field of bigfoot research) is getting married!!!

This friend and fellow researcher named Wayne has asked me to be his wife, in August of this year, and I happily accepted. With Wayne I have the best of both worlds. I am madly in love with this man, he is my best friend and he is also as interested in the mystery of bigfoot.. So, I have it all!! I will be moving to the State of Ohio the day after the Texas Conference in October, and we will be husband and wife Sept 5th of 2010. My support of the TBRC will remain, although I will no longer be an active member of the group. I will however hold an Associate Membership. The TBRC has been like a second family to me, and I will always be an staunch supporter of the credible work being done by this group of dedicated individuals.

So, while my life has had its share of ups and downs this year,

I am just as happy to share the good news in my life. Maybe if there was more good news in this "community" and, people willing to talk about it, there would actually be something more correctly described as a "community".

Is this article important to the field of Bigfoot Research?

No. Not in the slightest.

I even have my reservations about telling people this news. I'm sure the group from earlier this year will say I am "self-promoting", or they will use this as yet one more way to try and hurt me publically. They still enjoy holding their grudge and using their positions of authority to try and hurt me on a personal level.

I'm discussing this,

Because my news goes a long way to proving, researchers of this mystery animal have normal lives, just like everyone else. Maybe if we were not so afraid of the people outside of this community, and less anxious to find what we don't like about each other,

Maybe we would come across as less "mysterious" to the general public, and appear less crazy.

Reference page for Casting Articles

Many have asked for a quick reference for the articles I have written on Dermal Ridges and Casting Artifacts. This has been a long time coming. See the bottom of the main page for a permenant link to this page.

Article One

Article Two

Article Three

Article Four

Article Five

Article Six

Dermal Ridges and Casting Artifacts Part I

Dermal Ridges and Artifacts II

Crowley Lines

Article One: Casting VolAsh/Pumice

Article Two: Casting VolAsh/Pumice

Article Three: Casting VolAsh/Pumice

Article Four: Casting VolAsh/Pumice

Dermal Ridges and Casting Artifacts Part II

By Melissa Hovey

As detailed in numerous articles and discussions available on the web, several researchers were able to produce false dermal ridges, called casting artifacts, using various casting materials and volcanic ash. While this article does not address the issues of such experiments on the reliability of the Onion Mountain casts, it does address the need to identify how and why casting artifacts occur.

For this round of tests, soil that had been sifted five times to remove as much organic material as possible was used. Although the soil was reused due to multiple experiments, it was re-sifted prior to use.



It has been previously hypothesized by researchers that “wicking,” a process by which water is pulled from the casting agent by very fine dry soil, is the cause of false dermals. The soil from Onion Mountain indeed is fine and dry, but previous tests (as discussed in Article One) did not produce any casting artifacts.

Since wicking, at least in these experiments, did not produce casting artifacts, water temperatures, ranging from 70 to 100 degrees, were tested. These tests also did not produce any casting artifact.



Next, experiments with the casting agent were undertaken. After speaking with an expert with Gypsumsolutions.com, who has more than 25 years experience and has worked with the FBI to help them understand how to properly use casting agents in the field, several points were made.

1. As long as you are mixing your casting agent properly, what you can see in the track should show up in your finished cast. The water temperature should always be right around the same temperature as the air (plus or minus 5 degrees).

2. Organic material and/or minerals do not play a role in the casting process, nor can various soils rich in specific minerals cause “artifacts” to happen. Minerals and organic material will not affect the casting agent's ability to retain details or cause details that look like dermal ridges, where there are none, as long as the casting agent is mixed properly.

3. Extremes in temperatures and mixing your agent too thick or thin will affect your cast.

Here is an example, with the only difference being the amount of casting agent and water.

Cast 1: 1 cup water and 2 cups Plaster of Paris. This mix is per the manufacturers specifications.



Cast 2: 1 1/4 cup water and 2 cups Plaster of Paris



Cast 3: 1 cup water and 2 1/4 cup Plaster of Paris



All water in these 3 experiments was room temperature, 76 degrees, humidity 25%. This water was not heated.

Notice the gradual change in the cast features. Cast #1 - the disturbed soil in the center of the cast corresponds to the area where the casting agent was poured. Cast #2 - fine pour lines can be seen toward the bottom of the cast, which shows the casting agent pushing out from the center of the cast. Cast #3 – the same affect as Cast #2, only more dramatic.

Although the only change between each cast was ¼ of a cup of either water or Plaster of Paris, the change is fairly remarkable. However, false dermals still were not produced.

The next set of experiments took additional “extremes” into consideration, this time temperature.

Cast 4: Water 105 degrees; soil baked in oven to 105 degrees prior to pouring; 2 ¼ cup Plaster of Paris; 1 cup water; air temperature 76%, with 25% humidity







Cast #4 shows the very same pour lines in the substrate, again only more dramatic. Even with the temperature extreme introduced with Cast #4, false dermals do not appear. The next set of experiments deal with opposite extremes.

Cast 5: Water 105 degrees; soil temperature 50 degrees; 2 ¼ cup Plaster of Paris; 1 cup water; air temperature 76%, with 25% humidity



False dermals do not appear in Cast #5 either.

Summary:

Although this paper set out to determine the cause of casting artifacts or false dermals, none of the experiments resulted in producing them. However, it should be noted that extremes in water temperature and improperly mixed casting agent will result in undesired results (i.e., the inability to cast what you intend too).


*End notes:“Plaster Mixing Procedures, USG Plasters and HYDROCAL® Brand Gypsum Cements IG503” http://www.gypsumsolutions.com/brand.asp?prod=17 *

On the Grey Area for Sept 24th 2008

On "The Grey Area" for Sept 24th 2008, both Monica and Myself are pleased to announce we will be talking with Bart Cutino, Tom Yamarone, BoBo Fey and Cliff Barackman!!!!!

Be sure to tune in at 8 Central/9 Eastern - maybe we can get Tom to sing us a song?

Join us for 2 hours of fun and informative bigfoot conversation :) Also, dont forget the chatroom will open a half hour early!!!!

Something to think about

One of the greatest secrets of life is having both patience & wisdom...

Now This Sounds Exciting

Disney Helps Establish First Rescue Center for Gorillas in Eastern Africa.

International Partnership Will Reintroduce Rescued Gorillas in DR Congo(September 15, 2008) The first center in eastern Africa designed to rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce orphaned gorillas back into the wild will begin construction later this month in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The center will also include a conservation education and public information program, and will work in partnership with local conservationists and authorities.

The new center is projected to hold up to 30 eastern lowland (Grauer’s) and mountain gorillas and will be located on 370 acres of land within a 1,235-acre forested area near the Tayna Nature Reserve, in Kasugho, North Kivu, a stable region of eastern DR Congo.

“The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International initiated the project, which has been granted funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and USAID. The Fossey Fund has already been caring for 11 such orphaned gorillas that are victims of poaching and other illegal activities, in temporary facilities in Rwanda and DR Congo, in partnership with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project.

Eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) are classified as “endangered” and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are identified as “critically endangered” by the 2007 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, and experts consider both subspecies at high risk for extinction within several decades.

“This is a critical opportunity for us to help many more young gorillas that have been victimized by unlawful activity or habitat destruction, and also to strengthen our partnership with the people who are the true stewards of the land and the animals,” says Fossey Fund president Clare Richardson. “All gorilla species are threatened with extinction. Both public education and rehabilitation services are critical to their chances for survival.”

“Rescued gorillas require intensive care and specialized psychological rehabilitation if they are ever to contribute to the long-term survival of their species,” says Alecia Lilly, Ph.D., Fossey Fund vice president. “Our decades-long studies of mountain gorillas and ongoing work with eastern lowland gorillas will provide a sound basis for this rehabilitation and socialization process.”

“The Fossey Fund will operate the facility in partnership with the Congolese conservation authority ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance. Also included in the partnership are the Tayna Nature Reserve and Tayna Center for Conservation Biology, the association of community-based gorilla reserves in Congo (UGADEC), Conservation International, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and animal experts from Disney’s Animal Programs.

Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), which represents 18 primate sanctuaries in 12 African countries, will coordinate design and construction of the facility. PASA will also oversee a management team and staff to run the center once it is opened.

"Unfortunately, orphaned gorillas have become a serious problem in eastern Africa,” says Doug Cress, PASA executive director. “With the creation of a specialized center, we will be better able to meet their unique needs and begin to reduce the poaching and illegal trade that has decimated these species.”

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund will provide funding toward initial operating expenses for the facility. In addition, experts from Disney’s Animal Programs will provide materials and in-kind services to assist with development and construction of the center, help relocate the current orphaned gorillas and provide educational opportunities for students and the community.

“We are pleased to collaborate with these respected conservation groups to provide staff expertise and funding in the creation of this much-needed facility to rehabilitate young, orphaned gorillas and, ultimately, reintroduce them back into the wild,” says Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president of Disney’s Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives.

The land for the new center was donated by the Tayna Center for Conservation Biology. The site is adjacent to some 222,000 acres of forest in a fully protected nature reserve.

“The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitats in Africa, through research, conservation action, education and partnerships. Founded by Dian Fossey as the Digit Fund and renamed after her death, DFGFI operates the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda, and maintains a staff of scientists, trackers and anti-poaching patrols in the Volcanoes National Park. DFGFI also operates a conservation action outreach plan, working in conjunction with innovative community-based preserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping to re-establish Congo's Maiko National Park, and participating in other critical conservation, health, education and community projects. DFGFI’s U.S. headquarters are located at Zoo Atlanta. http://www.gorillafund.org/ Pan African Sanctuary Alliance was formed in 2000 to unite the sanctuaries that care for orphaned chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, drills and literally thousands of endangered primates across Africa. PASA includes 18 sanctuaries in 12 countries, with a focus on rescue and rehabilitation, veterinary training, conservation education, law enforcement, and reintroduction.

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) is an annual awards program focused on the study and protection of the world's wildlife and ecosystems, involving communities and addressing human needs. The DWCF has taken Walt Disney’s legacy across the globe with $12 million in grants to more than 750 conservation programs in 110 countries. More than 550 professionals, including veterinarians, scientists, educators, curators, and zookeepers make up Disney's Animal Programs team, which oversees the health and well-being of all the birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney’s Animal Programs team members have had a tremendous impact on local, regional and global communities, inspiring millions to care about conservation and the environment and bettering the lives of animals.

-- Posted September 15, 2008

Two Weeks Off

In preparation for the upcoming East Coast Bigfoot Conference, we are taking the next two weeks off. We will resume the show on 9/28/08 with a new show.

Until then - we direct you to watch History (check your local cable providers) for a new episode of Monster Quest.

Thank You, and remember - Keep on Squatchin'