(Conference) International Bigfoot Symposium

In September 2003, the residents of Willow Creek, California hosted an 'International Bigfoot Symposium', held at the local high school.

Contents

• List of Speakers
• Press Release
• Keynote speaker

List of Speakers

• Mr. John Green - Keynote Address
• Dr. John Bindernagel - Apelike anatomical and behavioral characteristics of the Sasquatch
• Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum - Midfoot flexibility, footprints and the evolution of bipedalism: Perspectives on the Patterson-Gimlin film
• Mr. Jimmy Chilcutt - Dermal ridge evidence in footprint casts
• Mr. Doug Hajicek - Patterson-Gimlin film Another Look
• Ms. Kathy Moskowitz - Mayak datat: An archaeological viewpoint of the Hairy Man Pictographs
• Mr. Rick Noll - The Skookum Cast
• Mr. Alton Higgins - Photo evidence case study
• Mr. Thomas Steenburg - Sasquatch investigations in Canada
• Dr. W. Henner Fahrenbach - The Skin and its Appendages
• Mr. Dmitri Bayanov - Keynote Address
• Mr. Chris Murphy

In addition, there was a "Pioneer Panel" discussion moderated by Mr. Rudy Breuning, which included Bob Gimlin, Jim McClarin, Al Hodgson, Ed Schillinger and John Green.

International Bigfoot Symposium

Left to Right: John Green, Bob Gimlin, Jimmy Chilcutt, W. Henner Fahrenbach, Rick Noll, Thomas Steenburg, John Bindernagel, Jim McClarin and Alton Higgins

Press Release

The following are the original press releases relating to this event:

Press Release August 06, 2003: Major Bigfoot Evidence Find to be on Exhibit at Symposium

Willow Creek, CA: The Willow Creek – China Flat Museum announced today that the original Skookum Cast from southern Washington will be on exhibit during the International Bigfoot Symposium to be held September 12-14 in Willow Creek, California.

The Skookum Cast was made from an impression of a large animal at the edge of a mudhole. The cast has been examined by several prominent anthropologists including Dr. Grover Krantz (now deceased) physical anthropologist from Washington State University, Dr. Daris Swindler, retired professor of anthropology from the University of Washington, Dr. Jeff Meldrum, associate professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University and a specialist in primate locomotion, Dr. John Bindernagel, wildlife biologist and author, and primatologist, Dr. Esteban Sarmiento of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, as well as John Green, well-known bigfoot investigator and author. All agreed the impression had not been made by an elk and that it contained recognizable impressions of a forearm, a thigh, buttocks and an Achilles tendon and heel.

"Whatever made this was very well adapted to walking on two feet," Swindler said. "It's not conclusive, but it's consistent with what you'd expect to see if a giant biped sat down in the mud." Green concurred saying "The evidence that this imprint was made by a very large, unknown, higher primate is, in my opinion, compelling."

The cast is the result of an expedition mounted in September 2000 by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. The group camped near Skookum Meadows in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southern Washington and were engaged in broadcasting recorded sounds attributed to a bigfoot encounter near Tahoe, California and placing pheromone chips and fruit bait around the area in the hope of luring a bigfoot close enough to be photographed. The group heard unusual screams returning the sound broadcasts on three successive nights and sometime during the night of September 22nd the fruit bait was removed from several locations including a muddy pool.

Trackers with the expedition noted an impression in the mud around the pool and bits of chewed apple. Upon closer examination they determined an animal had apparently lain down on its side and stretched out to retrieve the fruit. The group made a plaster cast of the impressions and asked Meldrum to head up the effort to clean the massive six foot by six foot 200 pound cast and examine it. More information about the cast and the expedition can be found at www.bfro.net.

Press Release May 21, 2003: Change in Bigfoot Symposium Schedule

Willow Creek, CA: The Willow Creek – China Flat Museum announced today that John Green will be the kick-off keynote at the International Bigfoot Symposium to be held September 12-14 in Willow Creek, California.

Originally, Dr. Jane Goodall had committed to filling this slot, however, the museum was informed last week by Nona Gandelman, the VP/Director of Communications for the Jane Goodall Institute, that Dr. Goodall must meet with high-level officials from the Congo in September in an effort to preserve forest habitat in Africa. “As this is a major focus for the Jane Goodall Institute and because Dr. Goodall’s US fall tour schedule is full, we have no option but to cancel her attendance at the symposium,” Ms. Gandelman said.

Dr. Goodall will provide a video segment regarding her interest in undiscovered primate species such as bigfoot to be shown at the symposium. Jo Ann Hereford, President of the Museum Board, said the Symposium would continue as planned. The speakers scheduled to participate in the symposium are so very knowledgeable and prominent that Dr. Goodall’s cancellation will not affect the quality of the symposium.

The symposium steering committee recently learned that Russian hominology researcher Gleb Koval will be attending the symposium. Mr. Koval is associated with The State Darwin Museum in Moscow, Russia along with fellow symposium participants, Dmitri Bayanov and Igor Bourtsev. Bayanov is well known for his early work in the 1970s with the Patterson-Gimlin film clip shot in 1967 in Bluff Creek in northern California.

Press Release March 14, 2003: Dr. Jane Goodall to be featured at Bigfoot Symposium

Willow Creek, CA.: The Willow Creek China Flat Museum announced today that Dr. Jane Goodall will be the keynote speaker at the Bigfoot Symposium to be held September 12-14, 2003 in Willow Creek, California. Board President Jo Ann Hereford said, "We were thrilled when Dr. Goodall accepted our invitation." The symposium will feature an impressive array of speakers who will address a variety of topics.

Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum from Idaho State University will discuss the evolution of bipedalism and evidence shown in the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film of a female Bigfoot in Bluff Creek near Orleans, California. Dr. John Bindernagel, who was acquainted with Dr. Goodall while both were conducting research in Africa, will describe the apelike behavioral characteristics of Bigfoot. Mr. Jimmy Chilcutt, a crime scene investigator from Conroe, Texas, will explain how he found dermal ridge evidence in Bigfoot casts. Other presenters will address ancient "hairy man" pictographs, microscopic and morphological attributes of hair attributed to Bigfoot, and methods of examining photographs to determine whether Bigfoot pictures are the work of hoaxers.

As an added bonus, a special panel of pioneer Bigfoot investigators has been assembled to discuss their work in the late 1950s and 1960s. These include Bob Gimlin, who was with Roger Patterson in 1967 when the Patterson-Gimlin film clip was shot; Jim McClarin, the man who carved the first Bigfoot statue for Willow Creek and investigated the Bluff Creek film site; John Green, author and investigator for 44 years; and local Willow Creek resident Al Hodgson. The panel will describe their work and observations and field questions from the audience.

Reservations are limited to 320 attendees. Tickets are $125 and include 3 meals. Two special highlights include dinner Friday night featuring an authentic Yurok Native American salmon open-pit barbeque, immediately followed by a presentation on two new discoveries and forensic techniques used on the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film footage by speaker Doug Hajicek. Hajicek produced the Discovery Channel special about Bigfoot entitled, "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science." Saturday night, the Willow Creek Kiwanis Club will prepare a classic deep-pit beef barbecue dinner, to be followed by a presentation from speaker Dmitri Bayanov.

Keynote speaker

The Symposium's keynote address was given by John Green. The text of his address can be found here.