Comment / By Steven Streufert / Sept. 23, 2010, 3:38 a.m.

Great article, Heidi!

Bigfoot’s bLog may be found online at:http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/

and on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bigfoots-bLog-from-Bigfoot-Books-Willow-Creek/112390862144754

The bookstore has a website, too:http://bigfootbooks.webs.com/

Best to all!

Comment / By PLR / Sept. 23, 2010, 8:42 a.m.

My immediate reaction to this article was “are you kidding me?”

That you would devote a cover story to a blog feud on the interwebs, particularly when there are so many relevant things in our community initially struck an odd note with me.

But, it was well written, entertaining, and is a pretty powerful example of many if not most of the blogosphere sites.

Anyway, it won me over.

Comment / By Hank Sims / Sept. 23, 2010, 9:14 a.m.

And there you have it — another satisfied customer!

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 23, 2010, 12:59 p.m.

Go to the blog, see for yourself:http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com

the bookstore has a website, too:http://bigfootbooks.webs.com/

Comment / By Ken / Sept. 23, 2010, 2:20 p.m.

It’s sad, really. All that drama over bigfoot, a creature that doesn’t even exist.

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 23, 2010, 3:50 p.m.

Ken, It doesn’t exist, until you see one.

This was a battle over standards of discourse, fairness and free expression much more than it was over the existence of Bigfoot. Bigfoot discussion can at least be seen as a microcosm of the larger society, and that is the point I was trying to make, anyway. Ethics should apply, whatever the field of involvement.

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 23, 2010, 5:02 p.m.

I would like to say to PLR, above: This is a “relevant thing in our community,” as it involves a local person (me), running a local business, blogging on decidedly local topics (Bigfoot history in Willow Creek, Bluff Creek and the larger issues of the field), who encountered suppression of free expression on an internet site that is as much here as it is anywhere else in the world. Repression or dictatorial distortion of discourse is pertinent to us here in Humboldt County, whether it comes down from the legislatures in Sacramento or Washington, DC, or our own local government, or merely from our neighbors in the community. The struggle for truth and an ethical society matters, whether it is conducted on fiber optics or microwaves, or on a public bus or lunch counter, or the town square.

I’m glad you liked the story, in the end. Heidi did a superb job of condensing and consolidating the labyrinthine morass of the warring Bigfooting subculture. Our interview sessions covered about five hours. Whether you believe or not, or think Bigfoot matters, it is one of three major things for which our county is known: Redwoods and Marijuana being the other two. My little ensconcement here in Willow Creek does help give our local community a voice to the larger world. Nearly 58,000 blog readers so far attest to that. And heck, Bigfoot is surely better than bloody hooks in the back.

Comment / By Huh / Sept. 23, 2010, 7:27 p.m.

With respect, Steven, I believe PLR’s comment on the relevant issue was on the blog fued, not the whole bigfoot thing.

BTW, Hank, I think it’s time for another Blogophere issue, maybe with an emphasis on the anonymity thing that the likes of Heraldo and the Mirror have going for them, as opposed to the new king of the blogs, Eric Kirk.

Comment / By sad,unappreciated photog / Sept. 24, 2010, 9:53 a.m.

This.Is. The. Worst. Story. Ever. Walters, please, please go away. This is so bad it is literally a slap in all our faces. This story makes the Sub-Standard look like the New York Times.

Comment / By Deb / Sept. 24, 2010, 12:37 p.m.

So…there’s no real news AT ALL ? You actually devoted all this time and page space to people making nasty at each other over a silly hoax? Wow. The last issues non-story wasn’t enough? Tinkerbell in fish hooks and jeans, and now dopey guys in gorilla costumes. Great. Silly season, much?

Comment / By Sharonlee / Sept. 24, 2010, 12:51 p.m.

Great article Heidi! Two thumbs up!

And for those of you who logged in through Melissa’s site, I voted that Steve has Charles Manson eyes…tee hee

Comment / By Sharonlee / Sept. 24, 2010, 12:51 p.m.

Great article Heidi! Two thumbs up!

And for those of you who logged in through Melissa’s site, I voted that Steve has Charles Manson eyes…tee hee

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 24, 2010, 4:34 p.m.

Anyone wishing to actually explore my blog may do so by clicking my name, above.

A “silly hoax”? These creatures (or whatever they are) are seen by thousands of people, and regularly. I just love how those who are nearly totally uninformed about the phenomenon can dismiss it without analyzing or presenting any evidence for such a position, save that they saw some hyped up and factually shallow news story somewhere. The fact is that Ray Wallace did do hoaxing, but could not have done all of the famous Bluff Creek area tracks—he wasn’t even in the area at the given times. Also, Bob Heironimus’ claims to being the man in the suit are completely obviated by the fact that he cannot describe the geography of the area even vaguely accurately; and his stories and descriptions simply do not match up with what is seen in the Patterson-Gimlin film nor known about its filming. If it makes you feel smart and secure to dismiss mysterious things out of hand, Deb, I would simply suggest that your world only gets smaller when you do so.

NoNoNo—perhaps you could qualify your statement somehow to actually give it some meaning? Also, it is very clear to me, over the years, that Heidi Walters is one of the very best writers the NCJ has ever had on staff. I’d just like to say there is more to life (and “news”) than what happens in Eureka, or which way Rob Arkley puts his toilet paper on the roll rack.

SharonLee—hey, don’t go spreading that around, or I might have to start talking about karaoke. Ha ha!

Comment / By Annie / Sept. 25, 2010, 9:39 a.m.

I think this article explains Bush, Obama, homophobia, the death penalty and all kinds of current and past social issues. Face it people. There is a reason why bigfoot doesn’t want anything to do with people.

Comment / By Kathy / Sept. 25, 2010, 9 p.m.

Could it be the charge of over zealous self promotion is true?
Dude, you had a reporter willing to talk Bigfoot and you filled her up with BigYou. Enoch, the book you mentioned is written by Autumn Williams and more info is available here http://www.oregonbigfoot.com/order_enoch.php. A great and the newest Humboldt Bigfoot book is written by Dave Paulides called the Hoopa Project http://www.nabigfootsearch.com/TheHoopaProject.html. Bigfoot is our county’s number two recognizable symbol. The redwood tree is first. Both bring money into our area. Beyond the BS and ignorance surrounding the topic of Bigfoot is an amazingly addictive subject.
Berry picking season usually leads to a few more reported sightings. :)

Comment / By Kathy / Sept. 25, 2010, 10:49 p.m.

I would like a do-over please. I caught a bit of a trollish fever. It is contagious. Do-over begins now: Besides the wonders of your blog it might be noted that Enoch, the book you mentioned is written by Autumn Williams and more info is available here http://www.oregonbigfoot.com/order_enoch.php. A great and the newest Humboldt Bigfoot book is written by Dave Paulides called the Hoopa Project http://www.nabigfootsearch.com/TheHoopaProject.html. Bigfoot is our county’s number two recognizable symbol. The redwood tree is first. Both bring money into our area. Beyond the BS and ignorance surrounding the topic of Bigfoot is an amazingly addictive subject. Perhaps the next time you have a reporters attention it would be fun to talk a little of the importance of our community in the search for Bigfoot and how technology and science are being very useful in helping to validate the experiences that have been reported.

Comment / By Steven Streufert / Sept. 25, 2010, 11:43 p.m.

Kathy, don’t presume. I spoke with the reporter for five entire hours, and BELIEVE ME, I told her the entire history of Bigfoot in Humboldt and elsewhere. I elucidated much more than what is in this article. She wanted to know about the controversies, both past and pertinent to my troubles with BFF administrators. I told her about all of it, from the Pacific Northwest Expedition, to the BFRO wars, the AIBR, the Michigan Recording Project, and the so-called “Jimites” and the group heading the BFF at its demise. How in the world do you know what I said? Now you do. I don’t even care to promote myself, and if you knew me you would see that. I DO want people to know who I am so that I can make contacts and learn. That is totally normal and good, and I am very happy to count Autumn among my friends, along with many whom I correspond with, such as John Green, Daniel Perez, Loren Coleman, and yes, even MK. Go figure. Look more deeply before you speak, please.

Comment / By martha / Sept. 26, 2010, 9:31 a.m.

Not a hoax? Where’s the evidence? Where’s ANY evidence? Bones? Fur? There’s NOTHING.

Comment / By Deb / Sept. 27, 2010, 1:54 p.m.

Blackbeard buried the evidence in North Carolina.

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 28, 2010, 1:35 p.m.

Evidence? Remember, people once scoffed at the existence of the panda and the gorilla. New species are discovered every year, even some megafauna. Now, we bigfooters do have to admit that it is mysterious that we do not have a body. But we do have a film, the PGF, that has yet to be proven a hoax (despite many debunked claims), and has not been convincingly replicated even by modern film folks. There is a lot of evidence, but without a body it is difficult to establish it as coming from an established species. There is hair that comes up as “unknown primate.” There is DNA currently under analysis from hair and a giant molar found in the Santa Cruz area. There are footprint casts that show convincing dermal ridges that have been accepted by a professional police forensics officer. But I shouldn’t have to explain all of this. Ignorance is not a qualification for skepticism, nor is the viewing of a brief hype piece on Fox or CNN. I would recommend that one read the following books written by professional scientists on the subject:

• SASQUATCH: LEGEND MEETS SCIENCE, by Dr. D. Jeff Meldrum, State University of Idaho.

*SASQUATCH-BIGFOOT EVIDENCE, by Dr. Grover Krantz, University of Washington

*NORTH AMERICA’S GREAT APE - THE SASQUATCH: A Wildlife Biologist Looks at the Continent’s Most Misunderstood Large Mammal, by John Bindernagel

Of course, there is much more; but those who do not look will not ever have a chance to see.

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 29, 2010, 1:45 p.m.

A lengthy exposure of the lies of Bob Heironimus and the falsity of his claims to being the “man in the suit” may be found here. By Roger Knights…

http://txsasquatch.blogspot.com/2010/09/roger-knights-pure-genius.html

If you want further information about the inaccuracy of the “evidence” presented in Greg Long’s book, “The Making of Bigfoot,” look for Knights’ other great essays, especially “He Drove a Crooked Mile,” which proves that Bob H. had clearly never been to the P-G film site nor anywhere in particular along Bluff Creek.

Hoax theory: debunked.

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 29, 2010, 1:53 p.m.

Ray Wallace Hoax Behind Bigfoot? Did this logging contractor make all of the famous Bluff Creek footprints that created the modern story of “Bigfoot” in the media? NOPE.

Read here: http://www.bfro.net/news/wallace.asp

HOAX THEORY: Debunked

Comment / By truth serum / Sept. 30, 2010, 12:58 p.m.

Streufert drinks the John Green KoolAid !!

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 30, 2010, 1:44 p.m.

“Truth Serum,” whomever you are… What are you drinking, The MK Davis Massacre Special? Double shots of GCBRO bathtub ‘shine?

READ THE LATEST on Bigfoot’s bLog here:

http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/bigfoot-wars-episode-3-revenge-of.html

BIGFOOT WARS, Episode 3: THE REVENGE OF THE JIMITES, THE BIGFOOTERY ENQUIRER STRIKES BACK

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 30, 2010, 2:27 p.m.

More EVIDENCE. Just out:

In THE DISCOVERY OF THE SASQUATCH, biologist John Bindernagel reconsiders much of the prevailing knowledge regarding the sasquatch. Illustrating evidence which contradicts the widely held perception of the sasquatch as merely a cultural phenomenon—a myth, hallucination, imaginary being, misidentified bear, or hoax—he explains why criteria such as testability, consistency, predictive power, and simplicity actually support an alternative hypothesis: the sasquatch as an extant mammal.

This is a book about the sasquatch, but it is more specifically about the discovery process. It examines scientific and social factors that can prevent discoveries from being recognized, particularly when a discovery claim is perceived as unlikely, premature, or without a theoretical basis. Bindernagel examines how these factors have affected our perceptions of the sasquatch, and how they may have influenced scientific attitudes toward this controversial subject. By reconciling the social and scientific components of discovery, he shows how the various forms of evidence for the sasquatch can be viewed in the context of a prolonged discovery process. In doing so, he provides a bold new perspective explaining the need to reconsider—and perhaps challenge—long-standing prevailing knowledge about the sasquatch.

http://www.beachcomberbooks.com/discovery/about.html

The Discovery of the Sasquatch offers important insights not only about a potentially uncataloged species, but also about the humans who have thus far declined to investigate it. Bindernagel’s scholarship unlocks a door to discovery that was carelessly shut long ago, but now stands wide open, waiting for us to walk through. — from the Foreword by Leila Hadj-Chikh, PhD

———

John Bindernagel has given us a closely argued, cogent, convincing explanation why the evidence has not brought widespread acknowledgment that sasquatches are extant. In doing so he underscores how impressive that evidence actually is. This ingenious, insightful approach has increased drastically my personal estimate of the probability that sasquatch is an extant North American ape…. But the book’s value goes beyond the topic of sasquatch. Bindernagel illustrates the need to compare hypotheses, a salutary lesson. Most of us have or spare little time to look in depth at every interesting and controversial subject, so it’s easy to succumb to a lazy skepticism that accepts hoaxing, say, as an adequate explanation. But lazy skepticism is just laziness, not skepticism, and Bindernagel demonstrates just how farfetched the hoaxing hypothesis is in this instance…. People who like to think will love this book. — Henry Bauer, PhD, Dean Emeritus of Arts & Sciences, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry & Science Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University ———

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 30, 2010, 2:28 p.m.

More blurbs on Bindernagel’s book:

…one of the most brilliant pieces of work I have ever read. What a fabulous reminder of what science is and how science should be examining this issue… simply brilliant.” — Kathy Strain, Forest Archaeologist, U.S. Forest Service ———

This engrossing book explores two questions: (i) What is the evidence for a rare, large, secretive species of primate (or “great ape”) living in North America at present? (ii) Why do so many people who know of it disbelieve in it, ascribing reported sightings as tales by hoaxers or people who they think must have been hoaxed or deluded?…. Dr. Bindernagel presents opinions on these matters from a wide range of biologists, paleontologists, psychologists, sociologists, and others. A really good read, and an eye-opener for mindless believers and mindless disbelievers alike. — Chris Pielou, PhD, ecologist and author of After the Ice Age: the Return of Life to Glaciated North America, The Energy of Nature, and The World of Northern Evergreens

Comment / By Steven Streufert Bookseller/BigfootBooks / Sept. 30, 2010, 2:33 p.m.

Bindernagel bio and scientific qualifications:

“John Bindernagel, PhD, is a Canadian biologist with over forty years of experience in wildlife research and conservation in North America and internationally. He was educated at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada) and at the University of Wisconsin (USA). After beginning his career in Canada in 1963, he worked internationally with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations from 1965 until 1991. During this time he worked and taught in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central America. There he was involved in wildlife surveys, the preparation and implementation of wildlife management measures, and conservation education.3

Bindernagel’s interest in the sasquatch, which began in 1965, influenced a family decision to relocate from central Canada to British Columbia in 1975. He continues to be involved in wildlife research and resides on Vancouver Island with his wife Joan. In this, his second book about the sasquatch, he explores the discovery of the sasquatch in the context of the philosophy and history of science.”

Comment / By Scott McClean (tirademan) / Nov. 10, 2010, 4:11 p.m.

The Discovery of the Sasquatch is a white glove to the face of established science. A challenge to use scientific methodology, without prejudice, to investigate the diverse and abundant evidence that shows the sasquatch to be an extant - or existing - mammal. John Bindernagel carefully documents this clear and consistent empirical evidence, weaving a compelling case that interlocks with the canon of current primatology. By proposing the North American Great Ape hypothesis, Bindernagel lays bare the uninformed parsimony of scientific orthodoxy towards this evidence. He states “Scientists could be making a crucial error, not by failing to detect the sasquatch, but by failing to scrutinize the evidence affirming that it has been repeatedly detected, and by consequently treating it as non-existent.” Indeed. - Scott McClean

Comment / By christine jones / Nov. 21, 2010, 10:54 p.m.

Ray Wallace Hoax Behind Bigfoot? Did this logging contractor make all of the famous Bluff Creek footprints that created the modern story of “Bigfoot” in the media? NOPE.

PLR Ebooks

Comment / By Rebekah / Aug. 25, 2011, midnight

I’d signed up to the BFF, oh, I think it was about 2007. I had a total of about 40 whopping posts. I just stopped even going in and reading the forum. People were so insulting to each other. I was blown away. It definitely did not live up to its slogan. Moderators were doing just exactly what was described in this article. It was appalling. And then other people that had a sighting, who weren’t researchers and just needed to have a place to tell someone about what happened to them had the same thing done to them that happened to that 14 year old boy.

The insults that were allowed to stay on that forum about other researchers was really mind blowing. There were also a lot of remarks about former members that had been banned; just really vitriolic stuff.

Needless to say, what is the point in even being a part of something like that when you know its just a matter of time until you piss off the wrong person with a totally innocuous remark and then your ass is going to be grass…so to speak. It started to take all of the joy out of this for me so I just stayed away.