WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Now one of your pudding. I got a string going

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<v Speaker 1>on here, something just because my dog. Something killed your dog,

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<v Speaker 1>my dog. We're flying through the or over the tree.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how it did it, Okay, Damn, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>really confused. All I saw was my dog coming over

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<v Speaker 1>the fence and he was dead. And once you hit

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<v Speaker 1>the ground like, I didn't see any cars. All I

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<v Speaker 1>saw was my dog coming over the fence. Sat, what

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<v Speaker 1>are you putting? We got some wonder or something crawling

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<v Speaker 1>around out here? Did you see what it was?

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<v Speaker 2>Or was it was?

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<v Speaker 1>Standing enough? I'm out here looking through the window now

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<v Speaker 1>and I don't see anything. I don't want to go outside.

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus Quice, you better Hellohet thebody out here? Quin, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>out there. I thought of a mention about Tech fort nine.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know easy out there? Yeah, I'm walking right. Hey.

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<v Speaker 2>I've never done a year in show, not once in

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<v Speaker 2>all my years of podcasting, never felt the need to

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<v Speaker 2>do a year in review, never felt compelled to look

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<v Speaker 2>back and take stock of where we've been. But this

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<v Speaker 2>year is different. This year I couldn't stay silent. We

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<v Speaker 2>lost some giants, and I mean that word deliberately. Giants

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<v Speaker 2>now let me be real with you. The Bigfoot community

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<v Speaker 2>is complicated. It's messy. There's infighting, there's bickering. There are

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<v Speaker 2>grudges that go back decades. People argue about evidence, People

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<v Speaker 2>argue about methods. People argue about whether we should even

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<v Speaker 2>be calling them bigfoot or sasquatch or something else entirely.

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<v Speaker 2>I've watched researchers tear each other apart online. I've seen

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<v Speaker 2>friendships dissolve over disagreements about a footprint cast. I've witnessed

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<v Speaker 2>the heattiness and the ego and the territorial nonsense that

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<v Speaker 2>plagues this community, just like it plagues every other community

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<v Speaker 2>of passionate people. But you know what, none of that matters.

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<v Speaker 2>At the end of the day, none of it. When

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<v Speaker 2>someone dies, all that noise fades away, the arguments stopped mattering,

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<v Speaker 2>the disagreements become irrelevant. What remains is the work. What

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<v Speaker 2>remains is the contribution. What remains is the mark they

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<v Speaker 2>left on this subject that we're all so passionate about.

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<v Speaker 2>Whether you agreed with these men or not, whether you

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<v Speaker 2>stood in their corner or debated them at every turn,

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<v Speaker 2>they left their marks on the subject of Bigfoot. Each

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<v Speaker 2>one did it differently. Each one brought something unique to

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<v Speaker 2>the table, and now they're gone. So tonight I want

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<v Speaker 2>to remember them. I want to honor what they gave us.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to set aside whatever differences might have existed

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<v Speaker 2>and simply acknowledged that we've lost some truly important figures.

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<v Speaker 2>I know people die. I get that it's the natural

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<v Speaker 2>order of things. People are born, they live their lives,

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<v Speaker 2>and eventually they pass on. That's how it works, that's

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<v Speaker 2>how it's always worked. But knowing that death is inevitable

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't make it easier when it happens, especially when it

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<v Speaker 2>happens to people who meant something, people who contributed something,

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<v Speaker 2>people who spent their lives chasing the same mystery that

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<v Speaker 2>keeps so many of us.

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<v Speaker 3>Awake at night.

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<v Speaker 2>So let's talk about them, Let's remember them, Let's give

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<v Speaker 2>them the tribute they deserve. Before I get into the

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<v Speaker 2>individuals we lost, I want to take a moment to

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<v Speaker 2>acknowledge just how heavy this year has been for our community.

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<v Speaker 2>Twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five have been brutal.

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't just lose one or two researchers. We lost pillars,

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<v Speaker 2>We lost institutions, We lost people who shape the very

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<v Speaker 2>foundation of modern Sasquatch research. And it wasn't just the deaths.

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<v Speaker 2>We lost places too. The Bigfoot Discovery Museum in Felton,

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<v Speaker 2>California closed its doors after twenty years. Michael Rugg, who

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<v Speaker 2>opened that little museum back in two thousand and four

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<v Speaker 2>after seeing a Bigfoot as a child in Humboldt County,

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<v Speaker 2>finally had to retire. Health issues and financial struggles made

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<v Speaker 2>it impossible to continue. Twenty years of history, artifacts, footprint casts,

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<v Speaker 2>and that famous map with all those push pins marking

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<v Speaker 2>local sidings, all of it gone. That museum was a

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<v Speaker 2>pilgrimage site for believers and skeptics alike. People would drive

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<v Speaker 2>down Highway nine in the Santa Cruz Mountains just to

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<v Speaker 2>step inside that barn like building and talk to Michael

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<v Speaker 2>about what he'd seen and learned. He collected over one

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<v Speaker 2>hundred and fifty local siding reports, He had pieces of

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<v Speaker 2>the Patterson Gimlin film playing on a loop. He had

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<v Speaker 2>newspaper clippings going back decades. And now it's closed, another

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<v Speaker 2>piece of our community's infrastructure simply gone. Then there was

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<v Speaker 2>the tragedy in December of twenty twenty four. Two men

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<v Speaker 2>from Portland, Oregon, ages fifteen thirty seven, went into the

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<v Speaker 2>Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Scamania County, Washington, looking for sasquatch.

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<v Speaker 2>They never came home for Christmas. Over sixty volunteers searched

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<v Speaker 2>for three days, through freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels,

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<v Speaker 2>and heavily wooded terrain. The Coastguard provided air support. When

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<v Speaker 2>they finally found those two men, it was too late.

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<v Speaker 2>They died from exposure. The weather was brutal and they

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<v Speaker 2>weren't prepared for it. That hit hard. Those weren't celebrities,

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<v Speaker 2>they weren't researchers with podcasts or book deals. They were

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<v Speaker 2>just two guys who believed enough in this mystery to

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<v Speaker 2>spend their Christmas Eve in the woods looking for answers,

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<v Speaker 2>and they paid the ultimate price. Scamania County, for those

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<v Speaker 2>who don't know, has more Bigfoot sightings than almost anywhere

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<v Speaker 2>else in the country. They even have a law on

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<v Speaker 2>the books making it illegal to harm a sasquatch one

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<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars fine. And yet despite all that history, despite

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<v Speaker 2>all those sightings, the forest took two believers from us.

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<v Speaker 2>So when I tell you this year has been heavy.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean it.

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<v Speaker 2>The losses have been significant, and the three men I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to talk about tonight represent something even bigger than themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>They represent eras, they represent approaches, They represent the very

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<v Speaker 2>soul of what bigfoot research has been for the past

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<v Speaker 2>several decades. To understand the significance of the men we lost,

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<v Speaker 2>you have to understand the history of serious Sasquatch research,

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<v Speaker 2>and that history starts with four men who became known

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<v Speaker 2>as the four Horsemen of Sasquatchery. Grover Krantz, Renee de Hendon,

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<v Speaker 2>John Green, Peter Burn. These were the pioneers, the ones

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<v Speaker 2>who took bigfoot from campfire story to legitimate subject of inquiry.

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<v Speaker 2>They didn't always get along with each other, in fact,

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<v Speaker 2>they often didn't, but together, whether they intended it or not,

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<v Speaker 2>they built the foundation that everyone who came after them

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<v Speaker 2>would stand on. Grover Krantz was a physical anthropologist at

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<v Speaker 2>Washington State University who risked his academic career to study sasquatch.

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<v Speaker 2>He was the first serious scientist to devote his professional

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<v Speaker 2>energies to the subject, starting back in nineteen sixty three.

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<v Speaker 2>It cost him research grants, it delayed his tenure, His

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<v Speaker 2>papers were rejected by peer reviewed journals, but he kept

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<v Speaker 2>going anyway because he believed the evidence warranted scientific attention.

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<v Speaker 2>Renee de Hendon was a Swiss born researcher who became

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<v Speaker 2>one of the most dedicated field investigators in the history

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<v Speaker 2>of bigfoot research. He spent decades in the Pacific Northwest

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<v Speaker 2>interviewing witnesses and examining evidence. He was tenacious, he was

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<v Speaker 2>no nonsense, and he was absolutely relentless in his.

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<v Speaker 3>Pursuit of the truth.

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<v Speaker 2>John Green was a Canadian journalist who compiled a database

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<v Speaker 2>of more than three thousand siding in track reports. His

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<v Speaker 2>book Sasquatch, The Apes among Us, published in nineteen seventy eight,

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<v Speaker 2>is still considered by many to be the best written

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<v Speaker 2>book on the subject. He started investigating sightings back in

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen fifty seven after meeting Renee, and he never stopped

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<v Speaker 2>until his death in twenty sixteen at age eighty nine.

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<v Speaker 2>Peter Burne was an explorer and big game hunter who

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<v Speaker 2>led multiple expeditions in search of the Yeti and the

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<v Speaker 2>Himalayas before turning his attention to bigfoot in North America.

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<v Speaker 2>In the nineteen nineties, he founded the Bigfoot Research Project,

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<v Speaker 2>which received funding of nearly five million dollars from the

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<v Speaker 2>Academy of Applied Science. He set up a toll free

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<v Speaker 2>hotline one eight hundred Bigfoot and investigated reports that came

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<v Speaker 2>in from across the country. These four men didn't just

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<v Speaker 2>investigate Bigfoot. They created the infrastructure for investigation. They developed methodologies,

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<v Speaker 2>They collected in cataloged evidence. They appeared in documentaries and

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<v Speaker 2>wrote books and gave interviews and kept the subject alive

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<v Speaker 2>during decades when it would have been easy for it

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<v Speaker 2>to fade into obscurity. And now they're all gone. Renee

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<v Speaker 2>died in two thousand and one, Krantz died in two

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<v Speaker 2>thousand and two. Green died in twenty sixteen. Byrne died

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<v Speaker 2>in twenty twenty three, at ninety seven years old. The

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<v Speaker 2>men we lost in twenty twenty four and twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>five were the next generation. They were the ones who

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<v Speaker 2>picked up where the four Horsemen left off. They were

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<v Speaker 2>the ones who carried the torch forward into the twenty

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<v Speaker 2>first century, and their loss leaves a hole that may

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<v Speaker 2>never be filled. When you say the name Jeff Mildrum,

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<v Speaker 2>people know exactly who you're talking about, even people outside

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<v Speaker 2>the Bigfoot community, even skeptics who spent their careers trying

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<v Speaker 2>to debunk everything he stood for. They knew his name,

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<v Speaker 2>they respected his credentials, and whether they admitted it or not,

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<v Speaker 2>they took him seriously. That's because doctor Meldrum was different.

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<v Speaker 2>He wasn't just another enthusiast with a podcast and an opinion.

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<v Speaker 2>He was a scientist, a real one, A full professor

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<v Speaker 2>of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University. The man

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<v Speaker 2>had a PhD in anatomical sciences from Stonybrook University. He

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<v Speaker 2>understood primate locomotion at a level most of us can't

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<v Speaker 2>even comprehend, and he chose to focus that expertise on sasquatch.

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<v Speaker 2>Think about that for a moment. This was a man

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<v Speaker 2>who could have played it safe. He could have stuck

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<v Speaker 2>to mainstream research, published papers that nobody would question, and

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<v Speaker 2>climbed the academic ladder without controversy.

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<v Speaker 3>But that wasn't Jeff Meldrum. That wasn't who he was.

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<v Speaker 2>He was born on May twenty fourth, nineteen fifty eight, in.

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<v Speaker 3>Salt Lake City.

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<v Speaker 2>He got his bachelor's degree in zoology from Brigham Young

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<v Speaker 2>University in nineteen eighty two. Specializing in vertebrate locomotion. His

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<v Speaker 2>masters followed in eighty four, and then he went to

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<v Speaker 2>Stonybrook for his doctorate, studying under John Fliegel, one of

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<v Speaker 2>the leading primatologists in the world. After that came a

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<v Speaker 2>postdoctoral position at Duke University Medical Center. This man had credentials,

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<v Speaker 2>real credentials, the kind that opened doors and guarantee respect

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<v Speaker 2>in academic circles. In nineteen ninety three, he joined Idaho

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<v Speaker 2>State University as a full professor, and for the first

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<v Speaker 2>few years he did what professors do. He taught human

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<v Speaker 2>anatomy to graduate students in the health professions programs. He

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<v Speaker 2>published research on primate locomotive adaptations. He built a reputation

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<v Speaker 2>as a serious scientist. Then came nineteen ninety six. He

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<v Speaker 2>was shown a set of fifteen inch footprints in Washington State.

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<v Speaker 2>Something clicked, something changed. From that moment forward, he devoted

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<v Speaker 2>a significant portion of his professional life to studying the

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<v Speaker 2>evidence for sasquatch. He collected over three hundred footprint casts,

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<v Speaker 2>three hundred. He analyzed them with the same rigor he'd

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<v Speaker 2>applied to any scientific study. He looked at dermal ridges.

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<v Speaker 2>He studied the biomechanics He examined the pressure points and

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<v Speaker 2>weight distribution. He asked the hard questions that most people

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<v Speaker 2>were too afraid to ask. His laboratory at Idaho State

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<v Speaker 2>University became a repository for sasquatch evidence. He built a

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<v Speaker 2>collection that's probably the largest and most carefully documented in

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<v Speaker 2>the world. When other researchers found interesting tracks, they'd send

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<v Speaker 2>casts to Meldrum for analysis. When witnesses reported encounters, they

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<v Speaker 2>knew there was a credentialed scientist at a major university

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<v Speaker 2>who would take them seriously. Meldrum brought forensic techniques to

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<v Speaker 2>the study of alleged bigfoot tracks. He looked at the

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<v Speaker 2>way weight was distributed across the footprint. He examined how

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<v Speaker 2>the toes spread during locomotion. He studied the depth of

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<v Speaker 2>impressions at different points and what that revealed about how

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<v Speaker 2>the creature moved. He was particularly interested in the mid

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<v Speaker 2>tarsal break, a feature scene in some of the footprint

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<v Speaker 2>casts that suggests a flexible foot structure different from human feet.

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<v Speaker 2>Humans have relatively rigid feet, an adaptation for efficient bipedal

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<v Speaker 2>walking on flat surfaces. Some of the sasquatch track showed

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<v Speaker 2>evidence of a mid foot flexibility more like what you'd

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<v Speaker 2>see in great apes, suggesting an adaptation for walking on

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<v Speaker 2>uneven forest terrain. His book Sasquatch Legend Meets Science was

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<v Speaker 2>published in two thousand and six, and it became essential

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<v Speaker 2>reading for anyone serious about this subject. It wasn't sensationalism,

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<v Speaker 2>it wasn't entertainment. It was an honest attempt to bring

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<v Speaker 2>scientific methodology to a topic that most scientists wouldn't touch

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<v Speaker 2>with a ten foot poll. The book accompanied a Discovery

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<v Speaker 2>Channel documentary of the same name, produced by Doug Hicheck.

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<v Speaker 2>The documentary brought Meldrum's work to a mass audience. People

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<v Speaker 2>who had dismissed bigfoot as nonsense saw a real scientist

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<v Speaker 2>examining real evidence and treating the subjects seriously. Did he

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<v Speaker 2>take criticism for it absolutely. Some of his colleagues called

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<v Speaker 2>his work pseudoscience. The Skeptical Inquirer published a detailed critical

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<v Speaker 2>review anthropology. David Daggling said Meldrum was unable or unwilling

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<v Speaker 2>to distinguish good research from bad science from pseudoscience. Some

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<v Speaker 2>critics went further. In two thousand and six, a group

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<v Speaker 2>of faculty members at Idaho State University petitioned to have

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<v Speaker 2>his tenure revoked. They argued that his bigfoot research was

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<v Speaker 2>damaging the university's reputation. The petition failed, but it showed

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<v Speaker 2>the professional risk Meldrum was taking. There were also accusations

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<v Speaker 2>that he had been fooled by hoaxers. Paul Freeman, a

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<v Speaker 2>forest patrol officer in Washington State, had produced multiple sets

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<v Speaker 2>of alleged Sasquatch tracks in the Blue Mountains near Walla

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<v Speaker 2>Walla during the nineteen nineties. Mildrum had examined some of

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<v Speaker 2>these tracks and found them convincing. When questions arose about

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00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.000
<v Speaker 2>Freeman's credibility, some argued that Meldrum had been taken in.

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<v Speaker 2>Meldrum defended his analysis. He pointed out specific features of

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<v Speaker 2>the Freeman tracts that would have been difficult for a

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<v Speaker 2>hoaxer to fake, and stay tuned for more SaaS Odyssey.

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<v Speaker 2>We'll be right back after these messages. He acknowledged that

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<v Speaker 2>some tracks Freeman found might have been faked, while maintaining

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<v Speaker 2>that others showed genuine anatomical detail. But Jeff never backed

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<v Speaker 2>down from his overall position. He believed in what he

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<v Speaker 2>was doing, and he had the courage to keep doing

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<v Speaker 2>it despite the professional cost. He edited a scholarly journal

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00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:29.600
<v Speaker 2>called The Relict Hominoid Inquiry, providing a venue for serious

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00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:34.759
<v Speaker 2>academic papers on Sasquatch and related subjects. He traveled the world,

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<v Speaker 2>from China to Siberia, examining evidence and building connections with

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<v Speaker 2>researchers in other countries. In twenty eleven, he attended a

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<v Speaker 2>conference in Russia about the Siberian Snowman, investigating alleged footprints

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<v Speaker 2>found in a cave. He appeared in countless documentaries and interviews,

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<v Speaker 2>always bringing that measured, accessible approach that made complex ideas understandable.

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<v Speaker 2>He never stopped teaching either. He taught human anatomy to

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<v Speaker 2>graduate students in the health professions programs. He mentored young researchers.

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<v Speaker 2>He gave lectures and presentations. Even as his bigfoot work

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<v Speaker 2>drew attention and controversy, he remained committed to his primary

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<v Speaker 2>academic duties. In twenty twenty three, he had a medical

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<v Speaker 2>emergency while on an Alaska cruise. He had to be

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<v Speaker 2>evacuated for treatment. He canceled an appearance at a bigfoot

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<v Speaker 2>conference the week before his death. The end came quickly.

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<v Speaker 2>Now I want to be honest with you here. I

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00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:35.600
<v Speaker 2>didn't always agree with doctor Meldrum. We had our disagreements.

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<v Speaker 2>Anyone who's been around this community long enough knows that

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<v Speaker 2>disagreements are inevitable. We all have our theories, we all

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<v Speaker 2>have our methods, we all have our interpretations of the evidence,

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<v Speaker 2>and sometimes those interpretations don't line up. But here's what

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<v Speaker 2>I want you to understand. Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean

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<v Speaker 2>you don't respect them. Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean you

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00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:00.480
<v Speaker 2>don't like them. Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean you can't

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<v Speaker 2>recognize the value of their contributions. I disagreed with Jeff

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<v Speaker 2>on certain points, but I never for one second doubted

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<v Speaker 2>his integrity. I never questioned his dedication. I never thought

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<v Speaker 2>he was anything less than a sincere, honest researcher who

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<v Speaker 2>was trying to get to the truth. And here's what

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<v Speaker 2>makes this so personal for me. I had the privilege

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<v Speaker 2>of sitting down with Jeff just a few weeks before

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<v Speaker 2>he passed, just a few weeks. We had a great conversation.

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<v Speaker 2>He was kind, he was generous with his time. He

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<v Speaker 2>talked about his research with the same passion he'd always had,

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<v Speaker 2>even as his health was failing. I didn't know it

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<v Speaker 2>would be our last conversation. I didn't know that brain

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<v Speaker 2>cancer would take him so quickly. The illness was brief,

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<v Speaker 2>they said, brief and brutal. He passed on September ninth,

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty five. He was sixty seven years old. His

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<v Speaker 2>family was at his side in Pocatello, Idaho. His wife,

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<v Speaker 2>Lauren said something that stuck with me. She said, he

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<v Speaker 2>loved teaching and researching Bigfoot, but he was a husband

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<v Speaker 2>and father, first nine children, six grandchildren, a man with

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<v Speaker 2>a full life beyond the research. She called him a

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<v Speaker 2>force of nature. I can't think of a better description.

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<v Speaker 2>Jeff Mildrum gave our community something precious. He gave us legitimacy.

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<v Speaker 2>When a skeptic dismissed Bigfoot research as nonsense, we could

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<v Speaker 2>point to doctor Meldrum and say, here's a credentialed scientist

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<v Speaker 2>who disagrees with you. Here's someone who's actually examined the evidence.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's a full professor at a major university who thinks

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<v Speaker 2>this subject deserves serious attention. He picked up where Grover

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<v Speaker 2>Krantz left off. He continued the tradition of academic rigor

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<v Speaker 2>in a field that desperately needed it. And now he's gone,

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<v Speaker 2>leaving behind his collection of over three hundred foot print casts,

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<v Speaker 2>his published works, his students, and a legacy that will

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<v Speaker 2>influence Sasquatch research for generations to come. Henry Franzoni passed

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<v Speaker 2>away in August of five, twenty twenty four, so technically he

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00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.680
<v Speaker 2>falls just outside of twenty twenty five, but I felt

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<v Speaker 2>compelled to include him here. I had to include him

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<v Speaker 2>here because Henry's contribution to this community deserves recognition. If

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<v Speaker 2>Jeff Meldrum brought scientific credibility to bigfoot research, Henry Franzoni

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<v Speaker 2>brought something equally important. He brought the Internet back. In

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen ninety three, Henry created the first bigfoot website on

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<v Speaker 2>the World Wide Web, the first one let that sync in.

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<v Speaker 2>Before social media, before YouTube, before podcasts, before any of

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<v Speaker 2>the tools we take for granted today. Henry Franzoni looked

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<v Speaker 2>at this new technology called the Internet and said, this

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<v Speaker 2>is how we connect, This is how we share information,

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<v Speaker 2>this is how we build a community. He also created

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<v Speaker 2>the first online bigfoot discussion group, the Internet Virtual Bigfoot Conference.

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<v Speaker 2>He called it the IVBC. From that foundation grew pretty

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<v Speaker 2>much every Bigfoot Organization and website you see today, the BFRO,

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<v Speaker 2>the forums, the Facebook groups. All of it traces back

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<v Speaker 2>in some way to what Henry started. He was a pioneer,

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<v Speaker 2>a real one. He understood before most people that the

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<v Speaker 2>Internet would change how we shared information, how we connected

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<v Speaker 2>with witnesses, how we built a community around this shared interest.

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<v Speaker 2>Think about what the world of Bigfoot research looked like

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<v Speaker 2>before Henry's work. If you wanted to learn about Sasquatch,

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<v Speaker 2>you had to find books at the library, if they

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<v Speaker 2>even had any. You had to track down researchers through

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<v Speaker 2>word of mouth. You had to travel to conferences or conventions.

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<v Speaker 2>Information was scattered and hard to access. The Internet changed everything. Suddenly,

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<v Speaker 2>researchers in Washington could communicate instantly with researchers in Florida.

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<v Speaker 2>Witness reports could be shared and discussed in real time.

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<v Speaker 2>Archives of sightings could be built and searched. The isolation

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<v Speaker 2>that had plagued Bigfoot research for decad aids began to dissolve.

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<v Speaker 2>Nineteen ninety three was before most people even knew what

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<v Speaker 2>the World Wide Web was. The first web browser, Mosaic,

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<v Speaker 2>had only been released that year. Very few people had

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<v Speaker 2>Internet access at home, and yet Henry was already building

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<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot infrastructure online. The Internet Virtual Bigfoot Conference he created

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<v Speaker 2>became a gathering place for researchers around the world. It

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<v Speaker 2>was a precursor to the forums and social media groups

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<v Speaker 2>we have today. People could ask questions, share evidence, debate theories.

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<v Speaker 2>A community began to form. From that foundation came the

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<v Speaker 2>organizations we know today. Matt Moneymaker founded the Bigfoot Field

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<v Speaker 2>Researchers Organization in nineteen ninety five, just two years after

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<v Speaker 2>Henry's online work began. The BFRO built on the model

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<v Speaker 2>of online community that Henry had pioneered. Other organizations followed.

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<v Speaker 2>The infrastructure Henry created became the template for how Bigfoot

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<v Speaker 2>research would operate in the digital age. Henry was born

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<v Speaker 2>in Paris, France, though he was raised in glen Ridge,

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<v Speaker 2>New Jersey. His father served in the army during the

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<v Speaker 2>Korean War and was sent to Paris as a French

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<v Speaker 2>interpreter at NATO's Shape headquarters. That's where Henry was born. Eventually,

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<v Speaker 2>the family moved back to the States, and Henry ended

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<v Speaker 2>up settling in the Pacific Northwest, where he lived for

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<v Speaker 2>nearly fifty years. His scientific training was rigorous. He built

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<v Speaker 2>a career as a fishery scientist, working with Native American

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<v Speaker 2>tribes on salmon management and conservation. He understood data, he

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00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.160
<v Speaker 2>understood methodology. He brought that scientific mindset to bigfoot research,

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<v Speaker 2>even as he explored more unconventional approaches. He worked with

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<v Speaker 2>some of the biggest names in bigfoot research. He was

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<v Speaker 2>on the board of advisors for Peter Burn's Bigfoot Research

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<v Speaker 2>project alongside Ron Moorhead. That project spent nearly five million

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<v Speaker 2>dollars investigating Bigfoot during its run from nineteen ninety three

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<v Speaker 2>to nineteen ninety eight. Five million dollars. That serious money,

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00:23:06.359 --> 00:23:09.519
<v Speaker 2>that serious research, and Henry was right there in the

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<v Speaker 2>middle of it. Peter Burn was a legend in his

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<v Speaker 2>own right, a big game hunter turned conservationist who had

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<v Speaker 2>led expeditions in search of the Yetti in Nepal and

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<v Speaker 2>the Bigfoot in North America.

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<v Speaker 3>The Academy of.

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<v Speaker 2>Applied Science in Boston funded his work, providing resources that

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<v Speaker 2>most Bigfoot researchers could only dream of. They had a

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<v Speaker 2>toll free hotline, sophisticated equipment, professional staff. It was the

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<v Speaker 2>most high tech, well funded bigfoot research operation ever attempted.

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<v Speaker 2>Henry was part of that he contributed to their investigations.

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<v Speaker 2>He helped analyze evidence. He was there when the Jeff

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<v Speaker 2>Glickman analysis of the Patterson Gimlin film was published in

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen ninety eight. He appeared in documentaries like Drumming for

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<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot in nineteen ninety seven, where he famously played drums

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<v Speaker 2>in an attempt to communicate with Sasquatch. It was unconventional, certainly,

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<v Speaker 2>but Henry believed that the creatures might respond to rhythmic sounds,

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<v Speaker 2>that drumming might be a way to attract their attention

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<v Speaker 2>or establish contact. He appeared in Sasquatch Odyssey in nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>ninety nine, the documentary that profiled the four Horsemen of Sasquatchery.

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<v Speaker 2>More recently, he was in A Flash of Beauty Bigfoot

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<v Speaker 2>revealed in twenty twenty two. He was interviewed countless times

385
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<v Speaker 2>over the years by podcasters and journalists and documentary filmmakers,

386
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:35.519
<v Speaker 2>and then for twenty three years Henry went quiet. He

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00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:38.359
<v Speaker 2>stepped away from public Bigfoot research and built a career

388
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<v Speaker 2>as a fishery scientist working with Native American tribes. Twenty

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<v Speaker 2>three years of silence on the subject that had defined

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00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:49.519
<v Speaker 2>so much of his life. Why did he leave. That's

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<v Speaker 2>a question many people asked over the years. Henry never

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00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:56.319
<v Speaker 2>fully explained it. Maybe he got burned out. Maybe the

393
00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:00.319
<v Speaker 2>controversies and conflicts within the community wore him down. Maybe

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00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:02.480
<v Speaker 2>he simply needed to focus on his career and his

395
00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:06.680
<v Speaker 2>personal life. The reasons were his own, but he came back.

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<v Speaker 2>In his final years, Henry started talking about Sasquatch again.

397
00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:16.319
<v Speaker 2>He appeared on podcasts, including mine. He gave interviews, He

398
00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:20.640
<v Speaker 2>reconnected with old colleagues and made new connections with younger researchers.

399
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<v Speaker 2>He appeared in the documentary A Flash of Beauty Bigfoot,

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00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:28.759
<v Speaker 2>revealed in twenty twenty two. In January of twenty twenty four,

401
00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:32.400
<v Speaker 2>he attended Squatch Fest in Kelso, Washington with Tim and

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00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:36.079
<v Speaker 2>Dana Hallerin. He was out there, engaged, part of the

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<v Speaker 2>community again, and then he wrote a book. And that book,

404
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.920
<v Speaker 2>let me tell you about that book. Henry called it

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00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:46.400
<v Speaker 2>Failing in a Cooler Way, Why I Never Found Bigfoot.

406
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<v Speaker 2>Listen to that title again. Let it sink in. Failing

407
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<v Speaker 2>in a cooler way, Why I Never found Bigfoot? There's

408
00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:57.400
<v Speaker 2>something profound in that title. There's something that tells you

409
00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:59.720
<v Speaker 2>everything you need to know about who Henry was as

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00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:04.400
<v Speaker 2>a person. He was humble, genuinely humble. In a field

411
00:26:04.440 --> 00:26:07.599
<v Speaker 2>full of people claiming to have all the answers, claiming

412
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:11.519
<v Speaker 2>to have definitive proof, claiming to know exactly what Sasquatch

413
00:26:11.720 --> 00:26:14.079
<v Speaker 2>is and where to find them. Here was a man

414
00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:17.640
<v Speaker 2>who admitted he often failed more than he succeeded. That

415
00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:22.039
<v Speaker 2>takes courage, that takes intellectual honesty, That takes the kind

416
00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:26.079
<v Speaker 2>of character that's increasingly rare in this world. I got

417
00:26:26.079 --> 00:26:28.920
<v Speaker 2>to interview Henry about a year before he passed. We

418
00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:32.359
<v Speaker 2>had a wonderful conversation. He talked about his early days

419
00:26:32.359 --> 00:26:35.680
<v Speaker 2>in the Pacific Northwest. He talked about his first encounter

420
00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:39.480
<v Speaker 2>near Scukum Lake in Clacamus County, Oregon, back in ninety three,

421
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:42.519
<v Speaker 2>when he and his wife went camping and experienced something

422
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:47.039
<v Speaker 2>they couldn't explain. According to old Indian legend, Skukum Lake

423
00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:51.000
<v Speaker 2>was inhabited by a powerful mystical entity. Henry and his

424
00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:54.559
<v Speaker 2>wife experienced a series of inexplicable events during their stay

425
00:26:54.960 --> 00:26:57.839
<v Speaker 2>that led Henry to believe they had encountered a Sasquatch.

426
00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:02.240
<v Speaker 2>He shared his theories, he shared his doubts. He was

427
00:27:02.319 --> 00:27:05.759
<v Speaker 2>open in a way that many researchers aren't now. Like

428
00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:08.519
<v Speaker 2>I said about doctor Meldrum, I didn't always agree with

429
00:27:08.559 --> 00:27:12.240
<v Speaker 2>Henry either. We had our differences of opinion. That's just

430
00:27:12.319 --> 00:27:15.640
<v Speaker 2>the nature of this field. When you have passionate people

431
00:27:15.680 --> 00:27:19.200
<v Speaker 2>investigating a mystery with no definitive answers, you're going to

432
00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:25.200
<v Speaker 2>have disagreements. But disagreements don't mean dislike. Disagreements don't mean disrespect.

433
00:27:26.039 --> 00:27:28.880
<v Speaker 2>I disagreed with Henry on certain points, but that didn't

434
00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:31.359
<v Speaker 2>make me like him any less. It didn't make me

435
00:27:31.440 --> 00:27:35.799
<v Speaker 2>value his contributions any less. After that interview, Henry did

436
00:27:35.799 --> 00:27:38.279
<v Speaker 2>something that meant the world to me. He sent me

437
00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:41.240
<v Speaker 2>a copy of his book. That copy of Failing in

438
00:27:41.279 --> 00:27:44.000
<v Speaker 2>a Cooler Way sits on my shelf today, and I've

439
00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:44.640
<v Speaker 2>cherished it.

440
00:27:45.240 --> 00:27:45.880
<v Speaker 3>I really have.

441
00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:49.119
<v Speaker 2>It's a reminder that the best researchers are the ones

442
00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:52.079
<v Speaker 2>who can admit what they don't know, the ones who

443
00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:57.160
<v Speaker 2>can acknowledge their failures alongside their successes. Henry died on

444
00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:01.039
<v Speaker 2>August twenty second, twenty twenty four. He was sixty seven

445
00:28:01.160 --> 00:28:05.000
<v Speaker 2>years old, same age as Meldrum. When he passed. He

446
00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:08.000
<v Speaker 2>was living in rural southwest Washington in the heart of

447
00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:12.119
<v Speaker 2>Sasquatch country right up until the end. He had remarried

448
00:28:12.160 --> 00:28:14.880
<v Speaker 2>in twenty twenty two and was living with eight cats.

449
00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:19.440
<v Speaker 2>Cliff Barackman and Bobo fet from Finding Bigfoot dedicated a

450
00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:22.640
<v Speaker 2>classic episode of their podcast to him after he passed.

451
00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:26.640
<v Speaker 2>They talked about how he encouraged other researchers, how he

452
00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:29.799
<v Speaker 2>stayed above the fray when things got contentious, how he

453
00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:33.680
<v Speaker 2>supported people even when he disagreed with them. That was Henry,

454
00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:38.759
<v Speaker 2>a pioneer, a truth seeker, and above all, a genuinely

455
00:28:38.799 --> 00:28:42.039
<v Speaker 2>good human being. And here's something that struck me when

456
00:28:42.079 --> 00:28:45.359
<v Speaker 2>I learned of his death. August twenty second is a

457
00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:51.480
<v Speaker 2>significant date in cryptozoology. Bernard Hoevelman's the father of modern cryptozoology,

458
00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:55.599
<v Speaker 2>died on August twenty second, two thousand and one. Peter Burne,

459
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:58.799
<v Speaker 2>the Yetti and Bigfoot hunter, was born on August twenty second,

460
00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:03.079
<v Speaker 2>nineteen twenty five, and now Henry Franzoni passed on August

461
00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:07.920
<v Speaker 2>twenty second, twenty twenty four. Maybe it's just coincidence, maybe

462
00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:10.960
<v Speaker 2>it means nothing, But in a field where we're always

463
00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:14.799
<v Speaker 2>looking for patterns, always trying to find meaning in the unexplained,

464
00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:19.200
<v Speaker 2>it's hard not to notice. If you've ever been to

465
00:29:19.240 --> 00:29:22.599
<v Speaker 2>Willow Creek, California, you know about Bigfoot books. And if

466
00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:25.640
<v Speaker 2>you know about Bigfoot books, you know about Stephen Streufurd.

467
00:29:26.279 --> 00:29:29.920
<v Speaker 2>Stephen was an institution, not just a researcher, not just

468
00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:34.720
<v Speaker 2>a bookseller, an institution. He'd been selling rare and unusual

469
00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:38.359
<v Speaker 2>books in Bigfoot country since the early nineties. His little

470
00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:41.119
<v Speaker 2>shop on Highway to ninety nine became a pilgrimage site

471
00:29:41.160 --> 00:29:44.839
<v Speaker 2>for anyone serious about this subject. You went to Willow Creek,

472
00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:48.960
<v Speaker 2>you stopped at Bigfoot Books, you talked to Stephen. Willow

473
00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:52.720
<v Speaker 2>Creek itself is the self proclaimed Bigfoot capital of the world.

474
00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:57.319
<v Speaker 2>It's where the modern Bigfoot phenomenon really began with those

475
00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:00.480
<v Speaker 2>tracks found by logging crews at Bluff Creek back in

476
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:05.519
<v Speaker 2>nineteen fifty eight. The town has embraced its reputation and

477
00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:07.960
<v Speaker 2>stay tuned for more sasquatch ott to see. We'll be

478
00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:15.680
<v Speaker 2>right back after these messages. There's a Bigfoot statue downtown,

479
00:30:16.200 --> 00:30:19.759
<v Speaker 2>there's a Bigfoot museum, and for more than two decades

480
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:23.640
<v Speaker 2>there was Bigfoot books. Stephen had been a professional bookman

481
00:30:23.720 --> 00:30:28.400
<v Speaker 2>since nineteen ninety two, selling online since nineteen ninety nine.

482
00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:30.640
<v Speaker 2>He had moved to Willow Creek in two thousand and one,

483
00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:33.519
<v Speaker 2>and he quickly became one of the most knowledgeable people

484
00:30:33.559 --> 00:30:35.559
<v Speaker 2>in the community when it came to the history and

485
00:30:35.640 --> 00:30:39.200
<v Speaker 2>lore of Bigfoot in that region. But Stephen was more

486
00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:42.480
<v Speaker 2>than a merchant. He was a historian, a scholar of

487
00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:46.000
<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot history in the truest sense. He knew the stories,

488
00:30:46.359 --> 00:30:49.200
<v Speaker 2>he knew the players, he knew the timeline of how

489
00:30:49.200 --> 00:30:53.799
<v Speaker 2>this phenomenon evolved from local legend to international sensation. And

490
00:30:53.839 --> 00:30:56.559
<v Speaker 2>then there was the Bluff Creek Project. For those who

491
00:30:56.599 --> 00:30:59.519
<v Speaker 2>don't know, Bluff Creek is where Roger Patterson and Bob

492
00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:04.039
<v Speaker 2>Gimlin shot their famous film on October twentieth, nineteen sixty seven.

493
00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:08.279
<v Speaker 2>That footage of a large, bipedal, hair covered figure walking

494
00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:12.759
<v Speaker 2>along a sandbar changed everything. It's the most analyzed, most

495
00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:15.440
<v Speaker 2>debated piece of evidence in the history of this subject.

496
00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.640
<v Speaker 2>By the nineteen nineties, the exact location had been lost,

497
00:31:20.279 --> 00:31:24.920
<v Speaker 2>Nature reclaimed it. The sandbar changed, the vegetation grew back,

498
00:31:25.559 --> 00:31:29.400
<v Speaker 2>the flood of sixty four had transformed the landscape. Nobody

499
00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:32.200
<v Speaker 2>could agree on precisely where Patterson and Gimlin had been

500
00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:36.240
<v Speaker 2>standing when they captured that footage. Stephen and his colleagues

501
00:31:36.279 --> 00:31:39.319
<v Speaker 2>set out to find it. The Bluff Creek Project became

502
00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:43.400
<v Speaker 2>their mission. They poured over old photographs, They studied the

503
00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:47.160
<v Speaker 2>original film frame by frame. They interviewed people who'd been

504
00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:51.200
<v Speaker 2>there in the sixties. They consulted with geologists. They hiked

505
00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:55.079
<v Speaker 2>into that remote canyon over and over again, comparing landmarks

506
00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:58.880
<v Speaker 2>to frames from the original film. It was painstaking work.

507
00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:02.079
<v Speaker 2>They had to scarred many cherish theories and bits of

508
00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:05.960
<v Speaker 2>wisdom that had built up over the decades. Old timers

509
00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:09.279
<v Speaker 2>had different memories of where the film was shot. Maps

510
00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:14.079
<v Speaker 2>from the sixties were imprecise. Nature had transformed the landscape.

511
00:32:14.119 --> 00:32:16.440
<v Speaker 2>The flood of nineteen sixty four had changed the creek

512
00:32:16.480 --> 00:32:20.039
<v Speaker 2>bed dramatically. Vegetation had grown up where there had once

513
00:32:20.119 --> 00:32:24.200
<v Speaker 2>been open sandbar. Trees that were saplings in sixty seven

514
00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.839
<v Speaker 2>were now mature. Some of the landmarks visible in the

515
00:32:27.880 --> 00:32:31.400
<v Speaker 2>original film had rotted away or been buried by debris,

516
00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:34.559
<v Speaker 2>but they kept at it. The members of the group

517
00:32:34.640 --> 00:32:37.680
<v Speaker 2>lived nearby, so they had a unique opportunity to conduct

518
00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:40.960
<v Speaker 2>local historical studies on site and to explore the whole

519
00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:45.640
<v Speaker 2>watershed intimately. Week after week, month after month, they hiked

520
00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:49.119
<v Speaker 2>into that remote canyon, comparing what they saw to photographs

521
00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:53.400
<v Speaker 2>from the archives. They studied the original film frame by frame.

522
00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:58.839
<v Speaker 2>They looked for specific trees, specific stumps, specific rock formations.

523
00:32:59.519 --> 00:33:02.599
<v Speaker 2>The exam photographs taken by Renee de Hendon when he

524
00:33:02.680 --> 00:33:05.519
<v Speaker 2>visited the site in the years after the filming. They

525
00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:10.079
<v Speaker 2>consulted geological surveys. They did everything they could to triangulate

526
00:33:10.119 --> 00:33:13.799
<v Speaker 2>the exact position, and in twenty eleven they found it.

527
00:33:14.559 --> 00:33:17.440
<v Speaker 2>The breakthrough came when they identified certain stumps that were

528
00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:22.599
<v Speaker 2>still visible barely above the accumulated vegetation and debris. The

529
00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:28.240
<v Speaker 2>angle matched, the distances matched. A geologist friend did trigonometric

530
00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:32.599
<v Speaker 2>calculations and confirmed that this was, mathematically speaking, the spot

531
00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:36.519
<v Speaker 2>where Patterson had stood when he filmed. Miraculously, some of

532
00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:39.359
<v Speaker 2>the stumps and logs from the original footage were still there.

533
00:33:40.119 --> 00:33:42.000
<v Speaker 3>The big old trees visible.

534
00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:46.000
<v Speaker 2>Behind Paddy were still standing. Those trees had grown, of course,

535
00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:50.480
<v Speaker 2>but their positions matched the film exactly. They documented everything.

536
00:33:51.039 --> 00:33:55.160
<v Speaker 2>They took photographs from multiple angles. They created detailed maps

537
00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:59.640
<v Speaker 2>and surveys, They recorded GPS coordinates. They did everything they

538
00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:02.920
<v Speaker 2>could to create a permanent record of their findings. The

539
00:34:03.000 --> 00:34:06.640
<v Speaker 2>result was their six hundred page book, The Bluff Creek Project,

540
00:34:07.160 --> 00:34:11.800
<v Speaker 2>The Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot Film Site a journey of rediscovery.

541
00:34:11.880 --> 00:34:16.039
<v Speaker 2>It's dense and technical, full of maps and photographs and appendices.

542
00:34:16.639 --> 00:34:20.760
<v Speaker 2>Not light reading, but it's thorough, it's rigorous, and it

543
00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:22.960
<v Speaker 2>stands as a permanent record of one of the most

544
00:34:23.000 --> 00:34:26.559
<v Speaker 2>important pieces of research in the history of Sasquatch studies.

545
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:32.119
<v Speaker 2>Think about what that accomplishment means. For decades, researchers debated

546
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:36.159
<v Speaker 2>where exactly the Patterson Gimlin film was shot. Different people

547
00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:39.679
<v Speaker 2>had different theories. Some thought the site was gone forever,

548
00:34:40.039 --> 00:34:44.079
<v Speaker 2>destroyed by floods and logging. Without knowing the exact location,

549
00:34:44.480 --> 00:34:48.519
<v Speaker 2>analysis of the film was limited. Now we know, thanks

550
00:34:48.519 --> 00:34:51.679
<v Speaker 2>to Stephen Stroyford and his colleagues, we know exactly where

551
00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:55.800
<v Speaker 2>Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin stood on October twentieth, nineteen

552
00:34:55.840 --> 00:34:59.079
<v Speaker 2>sixty seven. We can go there, We can stand in

553
00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:01.800
<v Speaker 2>the same spot. We can compare what we see to

554
00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:05.280
<v Speaker 2>what they filmed. That opens up new avenues of research.

555
00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:08.280
<v Speaker 2>We can analyze the proportions of the figure in the

556
00:35:08.280 --> 00:35:12.360
<v Speaker 2>film against known distances in the landscape. We can study

557
00:35:12.400 --> 00:35:15.360
<v Speaker 2>how the site has changed over time. We can look

558
00:35:15.400 --> 00:35:18.719
<v Speaker 2>for other evidence that might have been overlooked. The Bluff

559
00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:21.679
<v Speaker 2>Creek Project also set up trail cameras in the area,

560
00:35:22.159 --> 00:35:25.440
<v Speaker 2>hoping to capture footage of any Sasquatch that might return.

561
00:35:26.360 --> 00:35:30.199
<v Speaker 2>In the process, they documented rare wildlife, including footage of

562
00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:34.000
<v Speaker 2>the endangered Humboldt Martin. Whether or not they ever photograph

563
00:35:34.039 --> 00:35:38.320
<v Speaker 2>a Bigfoot, they've contributed to our understanding of that remote ecosystem.

564
00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:42.679
<v Speaker 2>That's a legacy, that's something concrete and valuable that will

565
00:35:42.679 --> 00:35:46.320
<v Speaker 2>outlast all of us. Whether you think the Patterson Gimlin

566
00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:49.199
<v Speaker 2>film shows a real Sasquatch or a man in a suit.

567
00:35:49.800 --> 00:35:53.000
<v Speaker 2>The rediscovery of that film site was a major accomplishment.

568
00:35:53.599 --> 00:35:58.159
<v Speaker 2>Its genuine historical preservation, done by dedicated volunteers who spent

569
00:35:58.280 --> 00:36:02.199
<v Speaker 2>years in difficult terrain. Stephen Stroyford was a key part

570
00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:06.000
<v Speaker 2>of that team. His knowledge of local history, his network

571
00:36:06.039 --> 00:36:09.760
<v Speaker 2>of contacts in the Bigfoot community, his bookstore that served

572
00:36:09.800 --> 00:36:13.679
<v Speaker 2>as an informal headquarters for researchers passing through the area,

573
00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:17.920
<v Speaker 2>all of it contributed to the project's success and beyond

574
00:36:17.920 --> 00:36:21.360
<v Speaker 2>the Bluff Creek Project. Stephen was simply a wealth of knowledge.

575
00:36:21.880 --> 00:36:25.280
<v Speaker 2>He'd read everything he knew. The history of every major case,

576
00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:29.760
<v Speaker 2>every researcher, every controversy. If you wanted to know something

577
00:36:29.760 --> 00:36:33.079
<v Speaker 2>about the history of bigfoot in northern California, Stephen was

578
00:36:33.119 --> 00:36:36.960
<v Speaker 2>the person to ask, Here's something else about Stephen. He

579
00:36:37.000 --> 00:36:40.719
<v Speaker 2>was a skeptic, not a debunker, but a genuine skeptic.

580
00:36:41.480 --> 00:36:45.280
<v Speaker 2>He approached claims with critical thinking. He didn't believe everything

581
00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:49.800
<v Speaker 2>he heard. He demanded evidence, He asked hard questions, and

582
00:36:49.880 --> 00:36:54.360
<v Speaker 2>yet he remained open, He remained curious. He dedicated his

583
00:36:54.400 --> 00:36:58.039
<v Speaker 2>life to this subject while maintaining the intellectual honesty to

584
00:36:58.119 --> 00:37:01.519
<v Speaker 2>admit he didn't have all the answers. Now, I have

585
00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:04.360
<v Speaker 2>to be honest here too. Stephen and I didn't always

586
00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:07.199
<v Speaker 2>get along. We had some rather public disagreements in his

587
00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:10.920
<v Speaker 2>Facebook group. If you were around back then, you probably

588
00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:13.440
<v Speaker 2>saw some of them. We went back and forth on

589
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:18.159
<v Speaker 2>various topics. We argued, we debated. Sometimes it got heated.

590
00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:21.360
<v Speaker 2>But here's the thing. That's what this is all about.

591
00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:24.400
<v Speaker 2>That's what a community of researchers should look like. We

592
00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:27.440
<v Speaker 2>can all have our opinions and still show mutual respect

593
00:37:27.480 --> 00:37:31.280
<v Speaker 2>for one another. We can disagree passionately about the evidence,

594
00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:34.719
<v Speaker 2>about the methods, about the theories, and still treat each

595
00:37:34.719 --> 00:37:38.480
<v Speaker 2>other with dignity. Stephen understood that even when we were

596
00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:41.239
<v Speaker 2>going at it in those Facebook threads, there was never

597
00:37:41.320 --> 00:37:44.800
<v Speaker 2>any real animosity. It was just two people with strong

598
00:37:44.840 --> 00:37:47.440
<v Speaker 2>opinions trying to figure out the truth, and at the

599
00:37:47.519 --> 00:37:49.760
<v Speaker 2>end of the day, we both wanted the same thing.

600
00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:54.159
<v Speaker 2>We both wanted answers. In September of twenty twenty three,

601
00:37:54.320 --> 00:37:57.960
<v Speaker 2>Stephen nearly died a fire broke out at Bigfoot Books

602
00:37:57.960 --> 00:38:01.880
<v Speaker 2>on September first. Was a Type one diabetic, and he

603
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:04.440
<v Speaker 2>had passed out from low blood sugar shortly before the

604
00:38:04.480 --> 00:38:08.519
<v Speaker 2>fire began. He was awoken by the flames, managed to

605
00:38:08.519 --> 00:38:11.760
<v Speaker 2>make it to the front porch, and then lost consciousness again.

606
00:38:12.679 --> 00:38:15.760
<v Speaker 2>He was sitting there, unconscious on the front porch, with

607
00:38:15.880 --> 00:38:19.280
<v Speaker 2>smoke billowing out the windows and flames encroaching when a

608
00:38:19.320 --> 00:38:22.639
<v Speaker 2>California Highway Patrol officer happened to spot the smoke from

609
00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:26.960
<v Speaker 2>the highway. That officer dragged Stephen from the porch to safety.

610
00:38:27.519 --> 00:38:29.840
<v Speaker 2>He was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to mad

611
00:38:29.920 --> 00:38:34.320
<v Speaker 2>River Community Hospital in Arcada. If that CHP officer hadn't

612
00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:37.400
<v Speaker 2>been driving by at that exact moment, Stephen would have

613
00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:41.119
<v Speaker 2>died in that fire. As it was, he lost everything.

614
00:38:41.880 --> 00:38:44.719
<v Speaker 2>The store was a total loss. He'd been living in

615
00:38:44.760 --> 00:38:47.519
<v Speaker 2>the building for about a month, so his personal possessions

616
00:38:47.519 --> 00:38:52.159
<v Speaker 2>were destroyed too, Decades of accumulated books and research materials

617
00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:56.280
<v Speaker 2>all gone. To make matters worse, Stephen had canceled his

618
00:38:56.360 --> 00:38:59.840
<v Speaker 2>insurance due to financial struggles. The bookstore had been hit

619
00:39:00.280 --> 00:39:03.719
<v Speaker 2>by online shopping, the pandemic, and a decline in the

620
00:39:03.719 --> 00:39:09.400
<v Speaker 2>local economy. It simply wasn't financially viable anymore. Stephen described

621
00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:12.199
<v Speaker 2>going back to salvage what he could. He called it

622
00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:15.960
<v Speaker 2>completely disturbing to see his whole life in ruins, burned up,

623
00:39:16.320 --> 00:39:21.519
<v Speaker 2>covered in ash, saturated in fireman's hose water, just totally destroyed.

624
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:25.920
<v Speaker 2>But the Bigfoot community rallied around him. People who disagreed

625
00:39:25.920 --> 00:39:29.079
<v Speaker 2>with him online, people who'd argued with him in forums.

626
00:39:29.559 --> 00:39:32.760
<v Speaker 2>They all put that aside and helped a friend set

627
00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:35.760
<v Speaker 2>up a GoFundMe. Another friend paid for two months in

628
00:39:35.800 --> 00:39:39.079
<v Speaker 2>a room in Eureka so Stephen wouldn't be homeless. Cliff

629
00:39:39.119 --> 00:39:42.920
<v Speaker 2>Barrockman from Finding Bigfoot, posted about it on social media

630
00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:46.159
<v Speaker 2>and encouraged people to donate. I, along with many from

631
00:39:46.199 --> 00:39:49.360
<v Speaker 2>our community, donated because that's what you do when someone

632
00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:52.760
<v Speaker 2>in your community needs you. You set aside the disagreements,

633
00:39:53.079 --> 00:39:54.400
<v Speaker 2>You set aside the debates.

634
00:39:54.880 --> 00:39:55.360
<v Speaker 3>You help.

635
00:39:55.840 --> 00:39:59.159
<v Speaker 2>And now Stephen has gone too. The shop on Highway

636
00:39:59.199 --> 00:40:02.159
<v Speaker 2>two ninety nine closed. The man who knew where to

637
00:40:02.159 --> 00:40:05.320
<v Speaker 2>find the Patterson Gimlin film site is no longer with us.

638
00:40:06.119 --> 00:40:10.239
<v Speaker 2>Another voice silenced, another gap in our community that can never.

639
00:40:10.039 --> 00:40:14.599
<v Speaker 3>Truly be filled. So where does all of this leave us?

640
00:40:15.199 --> 00:40:17.679
<v Speaker 2>What is the state of sasquatch research at the end

641
00:40:17.679 --> 00:40:22.079
<v Speaker 2>of twenty twenty five. It's a complicated picture. On one hand,

642
00:40:22.320 --> 00:40:25.800
<v Speaker 2>we've never had more tools at our disposal. Trail cameras

643
00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:28.400
<v Speaker 2>are cheaper and better than ever. You can set up

644
00:40:28.440 --> 00:40:31.119
<v Speaker 2>a network of motion activated cameras in the woods for

645
00:40:31.159 --> 00:40:35.000
<v Speaker 2>a few hundred dollars. Drones can survey remote areas that

646
00:40:35.039 --> 00:40:38.639
<v Speaker 2>would have taken days to hike. Thermal imaging that once

647
00:40:38.719 --> 00:40:41.679
<v Speaker 2>cost tens of thousands of dollars is now available in

648
00:40:41.760 --> 00:40:47.480
<v Speaker 2>handheld devices. DNA analysis has become more sophisticated and more accessible.

649
00:40:48.159 --> 00:40:50.960
<v Speaker 2>Anyone with a smartphone can document an encounter in high

650
00:40:51.039 --> 00:40:51.960
<v Speaker 2>definition video.

651
00:40:52.880 --> 00:40:55.000
<v Speaker 3>The Bigfoot Field Researchers.

652
00:40:54.519 --> 00:40:59.679
<v Speaker 2>Organization continues to collect and investigate reports they've cataloged thousands

653
00:40:59.719 --> 00:41:03.920
<v Speaker 2>of sightings across North America. Washington State alone has over

654
00:41:03.960 --> 00:41:07.639
<v Speaker 2>seven hundred reports in their database, more than any other state.

655
00:41:08.360 --> 00:41:13.800
<v Speaker 2>That's followed by California, Florida, Ohio, and Illinois. The Pacific

656
00:41:13.840 --> 00:41:17.599
<v Speaker 2>Northwest remains the hotspot, but sightings are reported in every

657
00:41:17.639 --> 00:41:22.199
<v Speaker 2>state except Hawaii. New researchers continue to enter the field.

658
00:41:22.639 --> 00:41:27.440
<v Speaker 2>Podcasts proliferate. There are dozens of active Bigfoot podcasts now,

659
00:41:27.760 --> 00:41:33.559
<v Speaker 2>from serious investigative shows to entertainment focused programs. YouTube channels

660
00:41:33.559 --> 00:41:37.760
<v Speaker 2>attract millions of views. TikTok has brought Bigfoot content to

661
00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:42.320
<v Speaker 2>a whole new generation. The cultural fascination with Bigfoot shows

662
00:41:42.360 --> 00:41:46.400
<v Speaker 2>no signs of fading. Television continues to cover the subject.

663
00:41:47.239 --> 00:41:50.760
<v Speaker 2>Finding Bigfoot ran for eleven seasons on Animal Planet from

664
00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:55.039
<v Speaker 2>twenty eleven to twenty eighteen, investigating reports across the country.

665
00:41:55.840 --> 00:42:00.119
<v Speaker 2>New documentary programs continue to be produced. Streaming services have

666
00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:03.800
<v Speaker 2>added Bigfoot content to their libraries. But the old guard

667
00:42:03.880 --> 00:42:08.159
<v Speaker 2>is dying. The pioneers are gone, the institutions are closing,

668
00:42:08.519 --> 00:42:11.239
<v Speaker 2>and the losses of twenty twenty four and twenty twenty

669
00:42:11.239 --> 00:42:15.840
<v Speaker 2>five have accelerated that transition. When Grover Krantz died in

670
00:42:15.840 --> 00:42:18.679
<v Speaker 2>two thousand and two. Jeff Meldrum was there to carry

671
00:42:18.679 --> 00:42:22.440
<v Speaker 2>on the tradition of academic rigor. When John Green died

672
00:42:22.480 --> 00:42:26.519
<v Speaker 2>in twenty sixteen, others had already digitized his database and

673
00:42:26.559 --> 00:42:30.280
<v Speaker 2>continued his cataloging work. But who picks up the mantle

674
00:42:30.320 --> 00:42:34.360
<v Speaker 2>now that Meldrum is gone. Who continues Henry Franzoni's work

675
00:42:34.400 --> 00:42:39.000
<v Speaker 2>of building online communities. Who preserves the historical knowledge that

676
00:42:39.039 --> 00:42:44.320
<v Speaker 2>Stephen Streyford accumulated over decades. These aren't rhetorical questions, They

677
00:42:44.360 --> 00:42:49.039
<v Speaker 2>are challenges that our community needs to face. Doctor John Bendernagel,

678
00:42:49.320 --> 00:42:52.880
<v Speaker 2>the Canadian wildlife biologist who wrote North America's great ape,

679
00:42:53.159 --> 00:42:57.639
<v Speaker 2>the Sasquatch, died in twenty eighteen. He was another credentialed

680
00:42:57.639 --> 00:43:02.039
<v Speaker 2>scientist who took the subject seriously. Gone, the circle of

681
00:43:02.079 --> 00:43:05.960
<v Speaker 2>academically trained researchers who are willing to publicly associate themselves

682
00:43:05.960 --> 00:43:10.599
<v Speaker 2>with bigfoot research grow smaller every year. The stigma remains.

683
00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:14.719
<v Speaker 2>Young scientists are warned away from the topic. Those who

684
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:18.039
<v Speaker 2>pursue it risk their careers, just as Grover Krantz did

685
00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:21.119
<v Speaker 2>decades ago. And then there are the setbacks that have

686
00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:24.480
<v Speaker 2>nothing to do with death, the DNA studies that keep

687
00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:28.400
<v Speaker 2>coming back with disappointing results, the hair samples that turn

688
00:43:28.440 --> 00:43:32.960
<v Speaker 2>out to be from known animals, The hoaxes that damage credibility,

689
00:43:33.000 --> 00:43:37.920
<v Speaker 2>the infighting that fractures organizations. In twenty fourteen, Brian Sykes

690
00:43:37.920 --> 00:43:41.639
<v Speaker 2>at Oxford published the first peer reviewed genetic analysis of

691
00:43:41.679 --> 00:43:46.159
<v Speaker 2>alleged Bigfoot hair samples. Out of thirty seven samples tested,

692
00:43:46.480 --> 00:43:52.440
<v Speaker 2>all were identified as known animals bears, horses, dogs, cows.

693
00:43:53.199 --> 00:43:56.280
<v Speaker 2>Not a single one was from an unknown primate. That

694
00:43:56.320 --> 00:43:59.960
<v Speaker 2>study didn't prove Bigfoot doesn't exist, but it did demonstrate

695
00:44:00.119 --> 00:44:03.840
<v Speaker 2>how many supposed pieces of evidence turn out to be misidentifications.

696
00:44:04.519 --> 00:44:07.000
<v Speaker 2>It showed how easy it is to fool yourself when

697
00:44:07.039 --> 00:44:10.880
<v Speaker 2>you want to believe. There was also the Melbuqtchum controversy.

698
00:44:11.559 --> 00:44:15.559
<v Speaker 2>In twenty twelve and twenty thirteen, veterinarian Melbokechum claimed to

699
00:44:15.559 --> 00:44:19.440
<v Speaker 2>have conducted DNA analysis proving that Sasquatch is a hybrid

700
00:44:19.519 --> 00:44:23.360
<v Speaker 2>species the result of human females mating with an unknown

701
00:44:23.400 --> 00:44:27.400
<v Speaker 2>primate around fifteen thousand years ago. She spent years and

702
00:44:27.480 --> 00:44:31.360
<v Speaker 2>reportedly half a million dollars on the study. The scientific

703
00:44:31.400 --> 00:44:36.440
<v Speaker 2>community rejected her findings. Todd Dissattel, a professor of anthropology

704
00:44:36.480 --> 00:44:40.679
<v Speaker 2>at New York University, called it complete junk science. The

705
00:44:40.719 --> 00:44:44.519
<v Speaker 2>paper was never accepted by a peer reviewed journal. Ketchum

706
00:44:44.639 --> 00:44:47.679
<v Speaker 2>ended up self publishing it in a journal she created herself.

707
00:44:48.480 --> 00:44:52.280
<v Speaker 2>Whether Ketchum's work was legitimate science that was unfairly rejected,

708
00:44:52.639 --> 00:44:56.840
<v Speaker 2>or flawed research that didn't meet scientific standards, the controversy

709
00:44:56.920 --> 00:45:00.920
<v Speaker 2>damaged the credibility of DNA based bigfoot research for years,

710
00:45:01.440 --> 00:45:05.880
<v Speaker 2>and yet the sightings continue and stay tuned for more

711
00:45:05.920 --> 00:45:13.440
<v Speaker 2>Sasquatch odyssey. We'll be right back after these messages. People

712
00:45:13.480 --> 00:45:17.559
<v Speaker 2>who have no reason to lie, keep reporting encounters. Witnesses

713
00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:21.880
<v Speaker 2>with nothing to gain, keep coming forward. The phenomenon persists,

714
00:45:22.119 --> 00:45:25.960
<v Speaker 2>even as the explanations remain elusive. That's the paradox of

715
00:45:26.000 --> 00:45:29.119
<v Speaker 2>sasquatch research. There's too much smoke for there to be

716
00:45:29.159 --> 00:45:33.480
<v Speaker 2>no fire at all, but the fire itself remains stubbornly invisible.

717
00:45:34.239 --> 00:45:37.920
<v Speaker 2>The BFRO continues to host expeditions where members and the

718
00:45:37.960 --> 00:45:42.159
<v Speaker 2>public can join investigators in the field. The North American

719
00:45:42.199 --> 00:45:46.719
<v Speaker 2>Wood Ape Conservancy conducts research in Area X. The Olympic

720
00:45:46.760 --> 00:45:51.119
<v Speaker 2>Project focuses on the Pacific Northwest, various state and regional

721
00:45:51.239 --> 00:45:56.719
<v Speaker 2>organizations continue their work. Technology continues to advance. In twenty

722
00:45:56.760 --> 00:46:01.400
<v Speaker 2>twenty four, researchers used AI to analyze reported Bigfoot vocalizations,

723
00:46:01.960 --> 00:46:05.000
<v Speaker 2>trying to identify patterns that might distinguish them from known

724
00:46:05.079 --> 00:46:10.599
<v Speaker 2>animal calls. Others have experimented with environmental DNA analysis, testing

725
00:46:10.639 --> 00:46:14.719
<v Speaker 2>soil and water samples for trace genetic evidence. Camera trap

726
00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:18.920
<v Speaker 2>technology keeps improving with higher resolution and better night vision,

727
00:46:19.760 --> 00:46:22.760
<v Speaker 2>but we're still waiting for the breakthrough. We're still waiting

728
00:46:22.800 --> 00:46:27.559
<v Speaker 2>for the clear, unambiguous video, the physical specimen, the DNA

729
00:46:27.639 --> 00:46:31.800
<v Speaker 2>that can't be explained away, the proof. Maybe it will come.

730
00:46:32.480 --> 00:46:34.920
<v Speaker 2>Maybe someone hearing this will be the one who finds it.

731
00:46:35.639 --> 00:46:38.639
<v Speaker 2>Maybe the next generation of researchers, armed with tools we

732
00:46:38.719 --> 00:46:42.559
<v Speaker 2>can't imagine, will finally solve the mystery. Or maybe the

733
00:46:42.599 --> 00:46:46.880
<v Speaker 2>mystery will remain unsolved. Maybe Bigfoot will continue to dance

734
00:46:47.039 --> 00:46:50.400
<v Speaker 2>just beyond the edge of verification, seen by thousands but

735
00:46:50.519 --> 00:46:54.079
<v Speaker 2>proven by none. Maybe that's the nature of some mysteries.

736
00:46:55.199 --> 00:46:56.239
<v Speaker 2>I want to be fair here.

737
00:46:56.760 --> 00:46:57.199
<v Speaker 3>I want to.

738
00:46:57.159 --> 00:47:00.199
<v Speaker 2>Acknowledge that there are smart, thoughtful people who don't believe

739
00:47:00.199 --> 00:47:04.119
<v Speaker 2>Bigfoot exists, and they have reasons for their skepticism.

740
00:47:04.440 --> 00:47:05.039
<v Speaker 3>The lack of a.

741
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:08.800
<v Speaker 2>Body is the biggest problem. After all these decades of searching,

742
00:47:09.199 --> 00:47:12.559
<v Speaker 2>no one has ever produced a bigfoot corpse. No bones

743
00:47:12.599 --> 00:47:17.239
<v Speaker 2>have been found, no teeth, no definitive DNA. In a

744
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:20.639
<v Speaker 2>world where we've cataloged millions of species, how could a

745
00:47:20.719 --> 00:47:25.280
<v Speaker 2>large primate remain undetected in North America. The hoaxes damaged

746
00:47:25.280 --> 00:47:26.159
<v Speaker 2>credibility too.

747
00:47:27.119 --> 00:47:28.239
<v Speaker 3>Ray Wallace, whose.

748
00:47:28.039 --> 00:47:30.719
<v Speaker 2>Logging crew found those famous tracks at Bluff Creek in

749
00:47:30.800 --> 00:47:33.880
<v Speaker 2>nineteen fifty eight, was revealed after his death in two

750
00:47:33.920 --> 00:47:36.119
<v Speaker 2>thousand and two to have faked some of them using

751
00:47:36.199 --> 00:47:39.840
<v Speaker 2>carved wooden feet. His family showed the feet to the press.

752
00:47:40.480 --> 00:47:44.199
<v Speaker 2>Some researchers argue this doesn't invalidate all the evidence, but

753
00:47:44.280 --> 00:47:48.400
<v Speaker 2>it planted seeds of doubt. And then there's the ecological argument.

754
00:47:48.880 --> 00:47:51.639
<v Speaker 2>A study published in the Journal of Biogeography in two

755
00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:56.320
<v Speaker 2>thousand and nine used ecological niche modeling on reported bigfoot sightings.

756
00:47:57.079 --> 00:48:00.760
<v Speaker 2>The researchers found that the locations of reported sighting matched

757
00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:04.000
<v Speaker 2>almost perfectly with the habitat of the American black bear.

758
00:48:04.840 --> 00:48:09.280
<v Speaker 2>They concluded that most bigfoot sightings are probably misidentifications of bears,

759
00:48:09.760 --> 00:48:14.719
<v Speaker 2>particularly when bears stand upright. These are serious objections. They

760
00:48:14.760 --> 00:48:18.719
<v Speaker 2>deserve serious consideration. But here's the thing. None of them

761
00:48:18.719 --> 00:48:21.719
<v Speaker 2>prove Bigfoot doesn't exist. They prove that we don't have

762
00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:25.679
<v Speaker 2>definitive evidence that it does exist. Those are two different things.

763
00:48:26.079 --> 00:48:28.960
<v Speaker 2>The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.

764
00:48:29.800 --> 00:48:31.960
<v Speaker 2>Just because we haven't found a body doesn't mean there's

765
00:48:32.000 --> 00:48:35.199
<v Speaker 2>no body to find. The forests of North America are

766
00:48:35.320 --> 00:48:39.480
<v Speaker 2>vast millions of acres of wilderness where humans rarely set foot.

767
00:48:40.199 --> 00:48:45.039
<v Speaker 2>Bodies decompose quickly in the wild, scavengers consume them, Nature

768
00:48:45.079 --> 00:48:49.360
<v Speaker 2>recycles everything. The hair sample studies prove that many samples

769
00:48:49.400 --> 00:48:53.480
<v Speaker 2>submitted as Bigfoot evidence were misidentified. They don't prove that

770
00:48:53.559 --> 00:48:57.599
<v Speaker 2>all samples are misidentifications. They don't prove that somewhere out

771
00:48:57.639 --> 00:49:00.599
<v Speaker 2>there there isn't hair from an unknown primate waiting to

772
00:49:00.639 --> 00:49:04.440
<v Speaker 2>be found. The hoaxes proved that some people have faked evidence.

773
00:49:04.960 --> 00:49:08.440
<v Speaker 2>They don't prove that all evidence is faked. Ray Wallace

774
00:49:08.519 --> 00:49:11.320
<v Speaker 2>might have carved wooden feet to make some tracks, but

775
00:49:11.400 --> 00:49:14.119
<v Speaker 2>that doesn't explain the thousands of other tracks found by

776
00:49:14.159 --> 00:49:17.679
<v Speaker 2>thousands of other people across the entire continent. And the

777
00:49:17.719 --> 00:49:21.840
<v Speaker 2>ecological niche modeling proves that bigfoot sidings correlate with black

778
00:49:21.880 --> 00:49:25.800
<v Speaker 2>bear habitat, but black bears and bigfoot could share habitat,

779
00:49:26.280 --> 00:49:30.639
<v Speaker 2>they could both prefer the same environments. Correlation is not causation.

780
00:49:31.519 --> 00:49:35.400
<v Speaker 2>Doctor Meldrum understood this. He spent his career carefully distinguishing

781
00:49:35.440 --> 00:49:39.400
<v Speaker 2>between good evidence and bad evidence, between credible sightings and

782
00:49:39.480 --> 00:49:43.840
<v Speaker 2>obvious hoaxes. He didn't accept everything at face value. He

783
00:49:43.880 --> 00:49:47.199
<v Speaker 2>applied rigorous methodology to separate the wheat from the chaff.

784
00:49:47.920 --> 00:49:51.840
<v Speaker 2>That's what real science looks like, not blind belief, not

785
00:49:51.960 --> 00:49:56.599
<v Speaker 2>dismissive skepticism, but careful, methodical examination of the evidence with

786
00:49:56.639 --> 00:50:00.440
<v Speaker 2>an open mind and high standards. I've interviewed close to

787
00:50:00.480 --> 00:50:04.039
<v Speaker 2>one thousand people over years of research. A thousand people

788
00:50:04.039 --> 00:50:07.360
<v Speaker 2>who claimed to have seen something they couldn't explain, something

789
00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:11.599
<v Speaker 2>large and bipedal and covered in hair, something that shouldn't

790
00:50:11.639 --> 00:50:12.960
<v Speaker 2>exist but appeared to them.

791
00:50:13.000 --> 00:50:15.159
<v Speaker 3>Nonetheless, these aren't.

792
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.039
<v Speaker 2>All credulous believers desperate for attention. Many of them didn't

793
00:50:19.039 --> 00:50:21.960
<v Speaker 2>want to talk about their experiences at all. They were

794
00:50:21.960 --> 00:50:25.119
<v Speaker 2>afraid of being ridiculed. They were worried about what their

795
00:50:25.159 --> 00:50:29.480
<v Speaker 2>friends and family would think. They came forward reluctantly, often

796
00:50:29.559 --> 00:50:32.800
<v Speaker 2>years or decades after their sightings because they felt they

797
00:50:32.840 --> 00:50:36.000
<v Speaker 2>needed to tell someone. I've talked to hunters who've spent

798
00:50:36.039 --> 00:50:38.559
<v Speaker 2>their whole lives in the woods and know every animal

799
00:50:38.599 --> 00:50:41.880
<v Speaker 2>that lives there. They saw something that wasn't any animal

800
00:50:41.920 --> 00:50:45.760
<v Speaker 2>they'd ever seen before. I've talked to law enforcement officers

801
00:50:45.800 --> 00:50:49.519
<v Speaker 2>trained to observe and report accurately. They saw something that

802
00:50:49.559 --> 00:50:53.920
<v Speaker 2>defied explanation. I've talked to forest rangers and biologists and

803
00:50:53.960 --> 00:50:56.960
<v Speaker 2>people who have no reason to make things up. Their

804
00:50:57.000 --> 00:51:02.440
<v Speaker 2>stories share common elements. The size, the bipedal locomotion, the

805
00:51:02.480 --> 00:51:04.519
<v Speaker 2>way it moved through the woods with a grace and

806
00:51:04.559 --> 00:51:08.719
<v Speaker 2>speed that seemed impossible for something so large. The smell,

807
00:51:09.079 --> 00:51:12.840
<v Speaker 2>often described as overwhelming, like a wet dog mixed with

808
00:51:12.880 --> 00:51:16.239
<v Speaker 2>something worse. The eyes that seem to reflect light in

809
00:51:16.280 --> 00:51:19.639
<v Speaker 2>the darkness. Not everyone who claims to see Bigfoot is

810
00:51:19.719 --> 00:51:24.239
<v Speaker 2>telling the truth. Some people misidentify bears, some people hoax,

811
00:51:24.880 --> 00:51:28.199
<v Speaker 2>some people have experiences that are more psychological than physical.

812
00:51:28.920 --> 00:51:32.599
<v Speaker 2>But a thousand people, ten thousand people across North America,

813
00:51:33.239 --> 00:51:37.079
<v Speaker 2>hundreds of thousands of reported sightings over decades. At some

814
00:51:37.199 --> 00:51:40.360
<v Speaker 2>point you have to wonder, if there's nothing out there,

815
00:51:40.679 --> 00:51:43.599
<v Speaker 2>where are all these stories coming from? Why do they

816
00:51:43.679 --> 00:51:47.199
<v Speaker 2>share so many common elements. Why do people who've never

817
00:51:47.280 --> 00:51:49.760
<v Speaker 2>met each other, who live in different states and have

818
00:51:49.880 --> 00:51:53.480
<v Speaker 2>no connection to each other describe the same thing. I

819
00:51:53.519 --> 00:51:57.639
<v Speaker 2>don't know the answer. Nobody does. But the witnesses deserve

820
00:51:57.719 --> 00:52:01.519
<v Speaker 2>to be heard. Their experiences deserved to be documented. Their

821
00:52:01.559 --> 00:52:04.800
<v Speaker 2>stories deserve to be taken seriously, even if we can't

822
00:52:04.840 --> 00:52:08.960
<v Speaker 2>explain them. That's what doctor Meldrum did. That's what Henry

823
00:52:08.960 --> 00:52:14.559
<v Speaker 2>Franzoni did. That's what Stephen Streyfert did. They listened, they documented,

824
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:17.920
<v Speaker 2>They took the witnesses seriously, even when the rest of

825
00:52:17.960 --> 00:52:21.199
<v Speaker 2>the world laughed. What can we learn from the lives

826
00:52:21.199 --> 00:52:26.239
<v Speaker 2>of doctor Jeff Mildrum, Henry Franzoni, and Steven Streyfert. I've

827
00:52:26.239 --> 00:52:28.440
<v Speaker 2>thought about this a lot since learning of each of

828
00:52:28.480 --> 00:52:32.599
<v Speaker 2>their deaths. What wisdom can we extract from their experiences?

829
00:52:32.920 --> 00:52:36.199
<v Speaker 2>What should we carry forward? I think the first lesson

830
00:52:36.280 --> 00:52:39.079
<v Speaker 2>is the importance of bringing your unique skills to the table.

831
00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:44.480
<v Speaker 2>Mildrim brought academic credentials and scientific methodology. He could analyze

832
00:52:44.480 --> 00:52:48.960
<v Speaker 2>footprints with an anatomist's eye. He could publish in scholarly venues.

833
00:52:49.440 --> 00:52:53.679
<v Speaker 2>He could speak the language of academia, Frienzoni brought technological

834
00:52:53.679 --> 00:52:57.639
<v Speaker 2>innovation and community building. He understood how to connect people,

835
00:52:58.039 --> 00:53:01.559
<v Speaker 2>how to create infrastructure, how to build something lasting in

836
00:53:01.599 --> 00:53:06.199
<v Speaker 2>the digital world. Stroyford brought historical knowledge and critical thinking.

837
00:53:06.760 --> 00:53:10.800
<v Speaker 2>He knew the stories, the players, the timeline. He could

838
00:53:10.840 --> 00:53:15.679
<v Speaker 2>separate fact from legend. Each one contributed something different, Each

839
00:53:15.719 --> 00:53:18.639
<v Speaker 2>one filled a role that no one else could fill.

840
00:53:18.800 --> 00:53:20.840
<v Speaker 2>The lesson for us is to figure out what our

841
00:53:20.960 --> 00:53:24.480
<v Speaker 2>unique contribution can be. What skills do you have that

842
00:53:24.519 --> 00:53:28.519
<v Speaker 2>could advance sasquatch research? What perspective do you bring that

843
00:53:28.559 --> 00:53:33.039
<v Speaker 2>others might not. The second lesson is persistence. These men

844
00:53:33.079 --> 00:53:35.559
<v Speaker 2>didn't study Bigfoot for a few months and then move on.

845
00:53:36.280 --> 00:53:40.360
<v Speaker 2>They dedicated decades of their lives to the pursuit. Through ridicule,

846
00:53:40.840 --> 00:53:45.159
<v Speaker 2>through setbacks, through personal costs, they kept going because they

847
00:53:45.159 --> 00:53:49.840
<v Speaker 2>believed the question was worth asking. Mildrim faced professional consequences

848
00:53:49.840 --> 00:53:53.320
<v Speaker 2>for his Bigfoot work. His colleagues tried to revoke his tenure.

849
00:53:53.880 --> 00:53:57.960
<v Speaker 2>Grant agencies declined to fund him, peer reviewed journals rejected

850
00:53:57.960 --> 00:54:02.360
<v Speaker 2>his papers. He kept going any way. Frienzoni spent nearly

851
00:54:02.400 --> 00:54:05.840
<v Speaker 2>five million dollars through the Bigfoot research project and still

852
00:54:05.840 --> 00:54:09.280
<v Speaker 2>didn't find definitive proof. He took a twenty three year

853
00:54:09.320 --> 00:54:12.800
<v Speaker 2>break from the field, but he came back. He kept going.

854
00:54:13.599 --> 00:54:17.960
<v Speaker 2>Stroyford lost everything in a fire, his business, his possessions,

855
00:54:18.440 --> 00:54:22.880
<v Speaker 2>his research materials. He'd been struggling financially even before the fire.

856
00:54:23.559 --> 00:54:27.119
<v Speaker 2>Life knocked him down repeatedly, but he never abandoned his

857
00:54:27.239 --> 00:54:31.719
<v Speaker 2>interest in the subject. Persistence matters. The mystery hasn't been

858
00:54:31.719 --> 00:54:35.039
<v Speaker 2>solved yet. That doesn't mean it can't be solved. It

859
00:54:35.159 --> 00:54:38.559
<v Speaker 2>means we have to keep trying. The third lesson is

860
00:54:38.639 --> 00:54:42.039
<v Speaker 2>intellectual honesty. None of these men claimed to have all

861
00:54:42.039 --> 00:54:46.119
<v Speaker 2>the answers. Meldrum always emphasized the need for more evidence.

862
00:54:46.800 --> 00:54:50.880
<v Speaker 2>He acknowledged when tracks looked suspicious. He didn't endorse everything

863
00:54:50.920 --> 00:54:53.960
<v Speaker 2>that was presented to him. Frienzoni wrote a whole book

864
00:54:53.960 --> 00:54:57.360
<v Speaker 2>about his failures. The title alone tells you everything you

865
00:54:57.440 --> 00:55:01.760
<v Speaker 2>need to know about his approach. Woifford maintained his skepticism

866
00:55:01.800 --> 00:55:04.599
<v Speaker 2>even while spending his life in the heart of Bigfoot country.

867
00:55:05.199 --> 00:55:09.599
<v Speaker 2>He demanded evidence, He asked hard questions. They approached the

868
00:55:09.639 --> 00:55:13.239
<v Speaker 2>subject with open minds, but demanded rigor. They were willing

869
00:55:13.239 --> 00:55:16.920
<v Speaker 2>to believe, but not willing to believe without reason. The

870
00:55:16.960 --> 00:55:20.280
<v Speaker 2>fourth lesson is the value of community. Even when they

871
00:55:20.320 --> 00:55:23.559
<v Speaker 2>disagreed with each other, even when they argued and debated

872
00:55:23.599 --> 00:55:26.440
<v Speaker 2>and went back and forth, they were all part of

873
00:55:26.480 --> 00:55:29.920
<v Speaker 2>the same community. They supported each other when it mattered.

874
00:55:30.440 --> 00:55:33.039
<v Speaker 2>They recognized that the pursuit of truth was bigger than

875
00:55:33.079 --> 00:55:38.400
<v Speaker 2>any individual ego. When Stephen's bookstore burned down, the community rallied.

876
00:55:39.039 --> 00:55:41.559
<v Speaker 2>People who had argued with him online, sent money to

877
00:55:41.559 --> 00:55:44.320
<v Speaker 2>help him get back on his feet. That's what community

878
00:55:44.360 --> 00:55:47.800
<v Speaker 2>looks like. That's what we should aspire to be. When

879
00:55:47.840 --> 00:55:52.719
<v Speaker 2>Jeff Mildram died, even his critics acknowledged his contributions. Benjamin

880
00:55:52.800 --> 00:55:55.639
<v Speaker 2>Radford at the Center for Inquiry wrote a tribute noting

881
00:55:55.679 --> 00:55:59.079
<v Speaker 2>that while he disagreed with many of Meldrum's conclusions, he

882
00:55:59.199 --> 00:56:03.480
<v Speaker 2>respected his will, willingness to engage, and found him sincere, knowledgeable,

883
00:56:03.519 --> 00:56:06.639
<v Speaker 2>and funny. That's how you treat people in your community,

884
00:56:06.960 --> 00:56:10.719
<v Speaker 2>even when you disagree. And the fifth lesson, perhaps the

885
00:56:10.760 --> 00:56:14.519
<v Speaker 2>most important one, is that life is short. Meldrum was

886
00:56:14.559 --> 00:56:18.679
<v Speaker 2>sixty seven, Frienzoni was sixty seven. Neither of them lived

887
00:56:18.679 --> 00:56:22.119
<v Speaker 2>to see seventy. The illness that took Meldrum was brief.

888
00:56:22.880 --> 00:56:26.280
<v Speaker 2>The silence that took. Franzoni lasted twenty three years before

889
00:56:26.280 --> 00:56:29.159
<v Speaker 2>he returned, only to have a few more years before

890
00:56:29.199 --> 00:56:32.119
<v Speaker 2>the end. None of us knows how much time we have.

891
00:56:32.920 --> 00:56:35.119
<v Speaker 2>None of us knows when our own chapter will end.

892
00:56:35.960 --> 00:56:37.960
<v Speaker 2>All we can do is make the most of the

893
00:56:38.000 --> 00:56:41.480
<v Speaker 2>time we're given. All we can do is contribute what

894
00:56:41.559 --> 00:56:46.360
<v Speaker 2>we can while we can. Don't wait, don't put off

895
00:56:46.360 --> 00:56:49.440
<v Speaker 2>the research you want to do, don't postpone the connections

896
00:56:49.480 --> 00:56:52.280
<v Speaker 2>you want to make. Don't assume you'll have time later

897
00:56:52.360 --> 00:56:56.480
<v Speaker 2>to pursue your curiosity. These three men used their time well.

898
00:56:56.960 --> 00:57:01.039
<v Speaker 2>They contributed, They built things that lasted. When they died,

899
00:57:01.239 --> 00:57:05.400
<v Speaker 2>they left behind legacies that will influence Sasquat's research for generations.

900
00:57:06.079 --> 00:57:08.920
<v Speaker 2>That's the goal. That's what we should all aspire to.

901
00:57:09.559 --> 00:57:12.840
<v Speaker 2>When our time comes, what will we leave behind? So

902
00:57:12.920 --> 00:57:16.320
<v Speaker 2>where does that leave us? It leaves us with a responsibility,

903
00:57:16.760 --> 00:57:17.760
<v Speaker 2>That's where it leaves us.

904
00:57:18.519 --> 00:57:19.440
<v Speaker 3>These men spent.

905
00:57:19.239 --> 00:57:22.880
<v Speaker 2>Their lives investigating something that most of society considers a joke.

906
00:57:23.679 --> 00:57:29.000
<v Speaker 2>They endured ridicule, they faced professional consequences. They sacrificed time

907
00:57:29.039 --> 00:57:32.280
<v Speaker 2>with their families to trump through forests and analyze footprints

908
00:57:32.280 --> 00:57:35.880
<v Speaker 2>and interview witnesses They did it because they believed it mattered.

909
00:57:36.360 --> 00:57:39.039
<v Speaker 2>They did it because they thought the truth was worth pursuing,

910
00:57:39.599 --> 00:57:43.679
<v Speaker 2>even when that pursuit cost them something. Doctor Jeff Meldrum

911
00:57:43.760 --> 00:57:47.000
<v Speaker 2>brought science to a subject that desperately needed it. He

912
00:57:47.039 --> 00:57:51.000
<v Speaker 2>gave us credibility. He gave us academic rigor. He showed

913
00:57:51.039 --> 00:57:54.760
<v Speaker 2>that serious people could take this question seriously without abandoning

914
00:57:54.840 --> 00:57:59.800
<v Speaker 2>their intellectual standards. Henry Fraenzone connected us all through technology.

915
00:58:00.360 --> 00:58:03.320
<v Speaker 2>He built the online infrastructure that we still used today,

916
00:58:03.960 --> 00:58:06.440
<v Speaker 2>and he showed us how to fail with grace, how

917
00:58:06.480 --> 00:58:10.639
<v Speaker 2>to acknowledge our limitations while continuing to pursue our curiosities.

918
00:58:11.280 --> 00:58:15.920
<v Speaker 2>Stephen Stroyford preserved our history. He maintained the institutional memory

919
00:58:15.920 --> 00:58:19.119
<v Speaker 2>of where this phenomenon came from and how it developed.

920
00:58:19.840 --> 00:58:22.519
<v Speaker 2>He located the very spot where the most famous piece

921
00:58:22.559 --> 00:58:25.480
<v Speaker 2>of bigfoot evidence was captured, and he taught us to

922
00:58:25.519 --> 00:58:29.800
<v Speaker 2>think critically even while remaining open to possibilities. Each one

923
00:58:29.840 --> 00:58:32.119
<v Speaker 2>of them made this community better than they found it.

924
00:58:32.719 --> 00:58:36.599
<v Speaker 2>The infighting doesn't matter. The bickering doesn't matter. The petty

925
00:58:36.719 --> 00:58:40.400
<v Speaker 2>arguments over evidence and methodology and who said what about whom?

926
00:58:40.480 --> 00:58:44.440
<v Speaker 2>On Facebook? None of it matters. What matters is the work.

927
00:58:45.000 --> 00:58:48.119
<v Speaker 2>What matters is the pursuit. What matters is whether we're

928
00:58:48.159 --> 00:58:50.960
<v Speaker 2>moving closer to the truth or just spinning our wheels.

929
00:58:51.599 --> 00:58:54.159
<v Speaker 2>We owe it to these men to keep going. We

930
00:58:54.239 --> 00:58:57.199
<v Speaker 2>owe it to them to do better, to be more rigorous,

931
00:58:57.719 --> 00:59:00.639
<v Speaker 2>to be more humble, to support each other instead of

932
00:59:00.679 --> 00:59:04.920
<v Speaker 2>tearing each other down. I know Bigfoot exists. I've seen

933
00:59:04.960 --> 00:59:08.960
<v Speaker 2>one with my own eyes from just ten feet away.

934
00:59:09.400 --> 00:59:12.880
<v Speaker 2>After almost forty years of research, after interviewing close to

935
00:59:12.920 --> 00:59:16.119
<v Speaker 2>a thousand witnesses, I can now say that for certain.

936
00:59:16.960 --> 00:59:19.360
<v Speaker 2>But I know the question. For many of you, it's

937
00:59:19.400 --> 00:59:22.920
<v Speaker 2>still worth asking. I know the mystery is worth pursuing.

938
00:59:23.679 --> 00:59:27.519
<v Speaker 2>Doctor Meldrum knew it too. Henry knew it. Stephen knew it.

939
00:59:28.039 --> 00:59:32.280
<v Speaker 2>They're gone now, but their work remains, Their contributions remain.

940
00:59:32.880 --> 00:59:36.480
<v Speaker 2>The foundations they built remain. It's up to us to

941
00:59:36.519 --> 00:59:39.679
<v Speaker 2>build on those foundations. It's up to us to honor

942
00:59:39.719 --> 00:59:44.000
<v Speaker 2>their memory by continuing the search, not with ego, not

943
00:59:44.079 --> 00:59:48.519
<v Speaker 2>with pettiness, but with the same dedication and intellectual honesty

944
00:59:48.559 --> 00:59:51.880
<v Speaker 2>that they showed us. Some people will mock us, some

945
00:59:51.920 --> 00:59:55.039
<v Speaker 2>people will dismiss us. Some people will never take this

946
00:59:55.119 --> 00:59:59.679
<v Speaker 2>subject seriously. No matter how much evidence accumulates. That's fine.

947
01:00:00.280 --> 01:00:03.760
<v Speaker 2>Let them mock, let them dismiss. We're not doing this

948
01:00:04.199 --> 01:00:08.239
<v Speaker 2>for them. Stay tuned for more sasquatch oat to see.

949
01:00:08.280 --> 01:00:15.199
<v Speaker 2>We'll be right back after these messages. We're doing this

950
01:00:15.239 --> 01:00:17.920
<v Speaker 2>because we saw something in the woods that we couldn't explain.

951
01:00:18.599 --> 01:00:21.199
<v Speaker 2>We're doing this because someone we trust told us a

952
01:00:21.239 --> 01:00:24.360
<v Speaker 2>story that didn't make sense. We're doing this because there's

953
01:00:24.400 --> 01:00:27.280
<v Speaker 2>a mystery out there that refuses to be solved, and

954
01:00:27.320 --> 01:00:29.119
<v Speaker 2>we're not the kind of people who can just walk

955
01:00:29.159 --> 01:00:33.360
<v Speaker 2>away from a mystery. Doctor Mildrim didn't walk away. Henry

956
01:00:33.360 --> 01:00:37.039
<v Speaker 2>Franzoni didn't walk away. Stephen streiferd didn't walk away.

957
01:00:37.679 --> 01:00:37.920
<v Speaker 3>Neither.

958
01:00:37.960 --> 01:00:41.800
<v Speaker 2>Will we rest in peace. Jeff rest in peace, Henry

959
01:00:42.360 --> 01:00:43.000
<v Speaker 2>rest in peace.

960
01:00:43.000 --> 01:00:43.400
<v Speaker 3>Stephen.

961
01:00:43.960 --> 01:00:46.519
<v Speaker 2>Thank you for everything you gave us. Thank you for

962
01:00:46.559 --> 01:00:49.400
<v Speaker 2>the years of dedication. Thank you for the battles you

963
01:00:49.480 --> 01:00:52.960
<v Speaker 2>fought and the criticism you endured. Thank you for believing

964
01:00:52.960 --> 01:00:55.880
<v Speaker 2>when it would have been easier not to. Your torches

965
01:00:55.920 --> 01:00:58.800
<v Speaker 2>have been passed. We'll do our best to carry them forward.

966
01:00:59.599 --> 01:01:03.800
<v Speaker 2>Before I need to say something about safety. Those two

967
01:01:03.800 --> 01:01:06.480
<v Speaker 2>men who died in Scamania County in December of twenty

968
01:01:06.519 --> 01:01:10.079
<v Speaker 2>twenty four. They went into the woods looking for sasquatch,

969
01:01:10.400 --> 01:01:14.239
<v Speaker 2>and they never came home. They died from exposure. The

970
01:01:14.239 --> 01:01:17.039
<v Speaker 2>Sheriff's office said they were ill prepared for the conditions.

971
01:01:17.719 --> 01:01:21.840
<v Speaker 2>This is serious, This is life and death. The forest

972
01:01:21.880 --> 01:01:25.559
<v Speaker 2>where Bigfoot is most often reported are dangerous places. The

973
01:01:25.559 --> 01:01:30.679
<v Speaker 2>Pacific Northwest, the Appalachian Mountains, the swamps of Florida, the

974
01:01:30.719 --> 01:01:34.679
<v Speaker 2>wilderness areas of the Rocky Mountains. These are beautiful places,

975
01:01:34.679 --> 01:01:38.159
<v Speaker 2>but they can kill you if you're not prepared. Hypothermia

976
01:01:38.199 --> 01:01:41.599
<v Speaker 2>can set in faster than you think. One wrong turn

977
01:01:41.679 --> 01:01:44.079
<v Speaker 2>can leave you miles from your vehicle with no way

978
01:01:44.119 --> 01:01:48.400
<v Speaker 2>to navigate back. Cell phones don't work in most wilderness areas.

979
01:01:49.039 --> 01:01:52.119
<v Speaker 2>Weather can change in an instant. What starts as a

980
01:01:52.119 --> 01:01:55.320
<v Speaker 2>pleasant height can become a survival situation in a matter

981
01:01:55.360 --> 01:01:58.480
<v Speaker 2>of hours. If you're going to go looking for sasquatch,

982
01:01:58.760 --> 01:02:01.800
<v Speaker 2>please do it safely. Tell someone where you're going and

983
01:02:01.840 --> 01:02:04.760
<v Speaker 2>when you expect to be back. Bring proper gear for

984
01:02:04.800 --> 01:02:09.000
<v Speaker 2>the conditions. Carry fire making materials. Bring more food and

985
01:02:09.039 --> 01:02:11.719
<v Speaker 2>water than you think you need. Know how to use

986
01:02:11.760 --> 01:02:15.480
<v Speaker 2>a map and compass. Consider carrying a satellite communicator like

987
01:02:15.519 --> 01:02:19.159
<v Speaker 2>an inReach device that works where cell phones don't and

988
01:02:19.280 --> 01:02:22.800
<v Speaker 2>know your limits. If the weather turns bad, turn back,

989
01:02:23.360 --> 01:02:27.559
<v Speaker 2>if you're getting tired, stop if something feels wrong. Trust

990
01:02:27.559 --> 01:02:30.760
<v Speaker 2>your instincts. No piece of evidence is worth your life,

991
01:02:31.280 --> 01:02:34.480
<v Speaker 2>No sighting is worth dying for. Bigfoot will still be

992
01:02:34.519 --> 01:02:37.039
<v Speaker 2>out there tomorrow. You might not be if you make

993
01:02:37.079 --> 01:02:40.960
<v Speaker 2>a stupid decision today. The sheriff in Scamania County said

994
01:02:41.000 --> 01:02:44.880
<v Speaker 2>it best. These volunteers sacrifice time away from their families

995
01:02:44.960 --> 01:02:48.519
<v Speaker 2>during Christmas to search for those men. They fought through

996
01:02:48.559 --> 01:02:53.480
<v Speaker 2>freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain. They did

997
01:02:53.519 --> 01:02:56.360
<v Speaker 2>everything they could, and they still didn't reach those men

998
01:02:56.400 --> 01:02:59.760
<v Speaker 2>in time. Don't put your family through that, don't put

999
01:02:59.760 --> 01:03:05.119
<v Speaker 2>search through that. Be smart, be prepared, come home. I've

1000
01:03:05.119 --> 01:03:07.599
<v Speaker 2>been at this for almost forty years now. I had

1001
01:03:07.599 --> 01:03:10.320
<v Speaker 2>my own encounter back in the mid nineteen eighties in

1002
01:03:10.360 --> 01:03:13.159
<v Speaker 2>the North Georgia Mountains where I grew up. I was

1003
01:03:13.239 --> 01:03:16.119
<v Speaker 2>just a kid. I experienced something that I couldn't explain

1004
01:03:16.199 --> 01:03:19.880
<v Speaker 2>then and I still can't explain it now. That experience

1005
01:03:19.920 --> 01:03:23.519
<v Speaker 2>shaped my life. It led me down this path. It's

1006
01:03:23.519 --> 01:03:26.559
<v Speaker 2>why I'm here today talking to you about researchers who

1007
01:03:26.679 --> 01:03:30.079
<v Speaker 2>died pursuing the same mystery that's haunted me since childhood.

1008
01:03:30.920 --> 01:03:32.960
<v Speaker 2>I've made a lot of friends in this community over

1009
01:03:33.000 --> 01:03:36.679
<v Speaker 2>the years. I've made some enemies too. I've had great

1010
01:03:36.719 --> 01:03:41.679
<v Speaker 2>conversations and heated arguments. I've been praised and criticized. I've

1011
01:03:41.719 --> 01:03:46.719
<v Speaker 2>been proven right sometimes and proven wrong other times. That's life,

1012
01:03:46.880 --> 01:03:48.840
<v Speaker 2>That's what happens when you're part of a community of

1013
01:03:48.880 --> 01:03:52.400
<v Speaker 2>passionate people who care deeply about something. But here's what

1014
01:03:52.400 --> 01:03:55.760
<v Speaker 2>I've learned in all those years. The disagreements don't matter

1015
01:03:55.800 --> 01:03:58.760
<v Speaker 2>as much as we think they do. The arguments fade,

1016
01:03:59.280 --> 01:04:03.880
<v Speaker 2>the grudges see petty in hindsight. What matters is the relationships.

1017
01:04:04.480 --> 01:04:07.920
<v Speaker 2>What matters is the shared pursuit. What matters is treating

1018
01:04:07.920 --> 01:04:11.519
<v Speaker 2>people with respect, even when you think they're wrong. Doctor

1019
01:04:11.519 --> 01:04:15.039
<v Speaker 2>Meldrum and I didn't agree on everything, but I respected him,

1020
01:04:15.280 --> 01:04:18.519
<v Speaker 2>I valued his contributions, and when I sat down with

1021
01:04:18.599 --> 01:04:20.880
<v Speaker 2>him a few weeks before he died, none of our

1022
01:04:20.920 --> 01:04:22.039
<v Speaker 2>disagreements mattered.

1023
01:04:22.760 --> 01:04:24.320
<v Speaker 3>What mattered was two people who.

1024
01:04:24.280 --> 01:04:27.400
<v Speaker 2>Shared a passion talking about the mystery that had shaped

1025
01:04:27.440 --> 01:04:31.440
<v Speaker 2>both our lives. Henry Franzoni and I had our differences, too,

1026
01:04:32.239 --> 01:04:34.320
<v Speaker 2>but when he sent me that book, when he took

1027
01:04:34.320 --> 01:04:36.280
<v Speaker 2>the time to mail me a copy of his work.

1028
01:04:36.679 --> 01:04:40.440
<v Speaker 2>That meant something. That was one researcher reaching out to another,

1029
01:04:40.840 --> 01:04:44.639
<v Speaker 2>saying we're in this together. Stephen Stroyford and I had

1030
01:04:44.639 --> 01:04:47.840
<v Speaker 2>our public disagreements. We went at it in his Facebook group.

1031
01:04:48.360 --> 01:04:51.599
<v Speaker 2>We argued about evidence and methodology and who knows what else.

1032
01:04:52.159 --> 01:04:53.800
<v Speaker 2>But at the end of the day, he was a

1033
01:04:53.840 --> 01:04:57.119
<v Speaker 2>fellow traveler on this strange journey. He was someone who

1034
01:04:57.159 --> 01:05:00.119
<v Speaker 2>cared about the truth as much as I do. Three

1035
01:05:00.199 --> 01:05:02.920
<v Speaker 2>of them are gone now, and I find myself thinking

1036
01:05:02.920 --> 01:05:06.679
<v Speaker 2>about the conversations we had, the arguments we didn't resolve,

1037
01:05:07.320 --> 01:05:10.679
<v Speaker 2>the things I wished i'd said differently. That's the lesson

1038
01:05:10.719 --> 01:05:13.360
<v Speaker 2>I think. Be kind to each other. While you can

1039
01:05:14.079 --> 01:05:17.639
<v Speaker 2>say what you mean, mean what you say. Don't let

1040
01:05:17.679 --> 01:05:21.360
<v Speaker 2>pride get in the way of connection, because someday, sooner

1041
01:05:21.400 --> 01:05:23.920
<v Speaker 2>than you think, one of you won't be around anymore,

1042
01:05:24.440 --> 01:05:27.760
<v Speaker 2>and all those arguments will seem so small. If you're

1043
01:05:27.760 --> 01:05:30.440
<v Speaker 2>young and just getting into Bigfoot research, I have a

1044
01:05:30.480 --> 01:05:35.159
<v Speaker 2>message for you. You're standing on the shoulders of giants. Doctor Meldrum,

1045
01:05:35.480 --> 01:05:41.880
<v Speaker 2>Henry Franzoni, Steven Streyfert, Grover Krantz, Renee de Hendon, John Green,

1046
01:05:42.440 --> 01:05:46.000
<v Speaker 2>Peter Burne, countless others who came before you and paved

1047
01:05:46.000 --> 01:05:50.679
<v Speaker 2>the way. Learn from them. Read their books, watch their interviews,

1048
01:05:51.239 --> 01:05:55.760
<v Speaker 2>study their methodologies. Understand their mistakes as well as their successes.

1049
01:05:56.440 --> 01:05:59.599
<v Speaker 2>But don't just copy them. Bring something new to the table.

1050
01:06:00.159 --> 01:06:04.599
<v Speaker 2>You have tools. They never had technology. They couldn't imagine

1051
01:06:04.679 --> 01:06:08.239
<v Speaker 2>access to information. They had to spend years compiling by hand.

1052
01:06:09.119 --> 01:06:14.480
<v Speaker 2>Use those tools wisely, apply rigorous methodology, Be skeptical without

1053
01:06:14.480 --> 01:06:20.039
<v Speaker 2>being dismissive, Be open without being gullible. Question everything, including

1054
01:06:20.079 --> 01:06:24.400
<v Speaker 2>your own assumptions. And when you find evidence, document it properly.

1055
01:06:25.000 --> 01:06:27.440
<v Speaker 2>Don't just post a blurry photo on Facebook and call

1056
01:06:27.480 --> 01:06:32.199
<v Speaker 2>it proof. Take measurements, note the conditions, preserve the chain

1057
01:06:32.239 --> 01:06:36.719
<v Speaker 2>of custody. Make your evidence as bulletproof as possible, because

1058
01:06:36.719 --> 01:06:42.000
<v Speaker 2>someday someone might actually find definitive proof. Someday someone might

1059
01:06:42.079 --> 01:06:45.159
<v Speaker 2>capture clear video or recover physical evidence that can be

1060
01:06:45.239 --> 01:06:48.880
<v Speaker 2>tested and verified, And when that day comes, it needs

1061
01:06:48.920 --> 01:06:51.719
<v Speaker 2>to be done right. The men we lost this year

1062
01:06:51.760 --> 01:06:54.000
<v Speaker 2>did the best they could with the tools and knowledge

1063
01:06:54.039 --> 01:06:58.400
<v Speaker 2>they had. They made mistakes, they weren't perfect, but they

1064
01:06:58.440 --> 01:07:02.000
<v Speaker 2>moved the field forward. They built something. It's up to

1065
01:07:02.039 --> 01:07:02.760
<v Speaker 2>you to build on.

1066
01:07:02.760 --> 01:07:05.159
<v Speaker 3>What they created. It's up to you to take it.

1067
01:07:05.119 --> 01:07:08.679
<v Speaker 2>Further than they could. Don't let them down. So here

1068
01:07:08.719 --> 01:07:11.400
<v Speaker 2>we are at the end. Twenty twenty four and twenty

1069
01:07:11.440 --> 01:07:14.840
<v Speaker 2>twenty five have been brutal years for our community. We

1070
01:07:14.880 --> 01:07:18.400
<v Speaker 2>lost doctor Jeff Meldrum, the scientist who gave us credibility.

1071
01:07:19.079 --> 01:07:24.119
<v Speaker 2>We lost Henry Franzoni, the pioneer who connected us through technology.

1072
01:07:24.159 --> 01:07:27.679
<v Speaker 2>We lost Stephen Stroyford, the historian who preserved our knowledge

1073
01:07:27.679 --> 01:07:31.559
<v Speaker 2>and located our most sacred site. We lost institutions like

1074
01:07:31.599 --> 01:07:35.519
<v Speaker 2>the Bigfoot Discovery Museum. We lost two nameless believers who

1075
01:07:35.559 --> 01:07:38.400
<v Speaker 2>died in the woods on Christmas Eve. But we didn't

1076
01:07:38.440 --> 01:07:42.400
<v Speaker 2>lose everything. We didn't lose the mystery itself. It's still

1077
01:07:42.440 --> 01:07:45.639
<v Speaker 2>out there waiting to be solved. We didn't lose the

1078
01:07:45.719 --> 01:07:49.639
<v Speaker 2>thousands of witnesses who've had experiences they can't explain. We

1079
01:07:49.679 --> 01:07:53.159
<v Speaker 2>didn't lose the footprint cast that doctor Meldrum collected, now

1080
01:07:53.199 --> 01:07:57.119
<v Speaker 2>preserved for future study. We didn't lose Henry Frazoni's book,

1081
01:07:57.320 --> 01:08:00.320
<v Speaker 2>his Record of Failure and Perseverance and humble per suit

1082
01:08:00.360 --> 01:08:03.880
<v Speaker 2>of Truth. We didn't lose the documentation of the Patterson

1083
01:08:03.880 --> 01:08:07.480
<v Speaker 2>Gimlin film site that Stephen and his colleagues created. We

1084
01:08:07.519 --> 01:08:10.719
<v Speaker 2>didn't lose each other, and to everyone listening, take care

1085
01:08:10.760 --> 01:08:14.239
<v Speaker 2>of each other. Life is short, the mystery is vast,

1086
01:08:14.800 --> 01:08:17.920
<v Speaker 2>and we're all in this together. Hug your loved ones,

1087
01:08:18.520 --> 01:08:20.920
<v Speaker 2>Tell people what they mean to you while you still can.

1088
01:08:21.840 --> 01:08:25.359
<v Speaker 2>Don't let disagreements fester into bitterness. Remember that at the

1089
01:08:25.439 --> 01:08:27.840
<v Speaker 2>end of the day, we're all just humans trying to

1090
01:08:27.840 --> 01:08:31.880
<v Speaker 2>make sense of an inexplicable world. The men we lost

1091
01:08:31.880 --> 01:08:36.279
<v Speaker 2>this year understood that they lived it, and now they're gone.

1092
01:08:36.319 --> 01:08:38.760
<v Speaker 2>But as long as we remember them, as long as

1093
01:08:38.800 --> 01:08:41.680
<v Speaker 2>we continue their work, as long as we carry forward

1094
01:08:41.720 --> 01:08:44.479
<v Speaker 2>what they taught us, they're never really gone at all.

1095
01:08:45.199 --> 01:08:49.840
<v Speaker 2>The search continues, the mystery endures, and somewhere out there

1096
01:08:50.239 --> 01:08:54.039
<v Speaker 2>in the deep woods where humans rarely tread, something is watching,

1097
01:08:54.760 --> 01:08:58.399
<v Speaker 2>something is waiting, something that's been there longer than we have.

1098
01:08:59.199 --> 01:09:02.920
<v Speaker 2>Maybe we'll find it someday, maybe we won't. But the

1099
01:09:03.000 --> 01:09:07.840
<v Speaker 2>looking itself matters. The pursuit itself has value. The community

1100
01:09:07.880 --> 01:09:12.000
<v Speaker 2>we've built around this shared curiosity is worth preserving. So

1101
01:09:12.079 --> 01:09:16.600
<v Speaker 2>keep looking, keep asking questions, keep sharing your experiences and

1102
01:09:16.640 --> 01:09:20.520
<v Speaker 2>listening to the experiences of others. And remember the giants

1103
01:09:20.520 --> 01:09:23.399
<v Speaker 2>we lost along the way. Until next time.

1104
01:09:24.640 --> 01:09:28.319
<v Speaker 3>They say you don't gotta go home, but.

1105
01:09:28.439 --> 01:10:01.279
<v Speaker 4>You can't stay. I don't want to be open chant

1106
01:10:01.479 --> 01:10:06.800
<v Speaker 4>this child, that chime. Everything came in R Bay rocket

1107
01:10:06.960 --> 01:10:13.720
<v Speaker 4>back for joy from me, joy staying right, you come

1108
01:10:13.800 --> 01:11:16.600
<v Speaker 4>in right away. Still stay steps about stas, still stand

1109
01:11:16.840 --> 01:11:27.560
<v Speaker 4>past states GAS, USS