Trying to play nice

My momma always told me that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, then to just say nothing at all.  Silence on this blog of late is closely related to that.

I’m frustrated.  Between the completely ridiculous television shows and the lack of reports, things are maddening at CFZ Canada.  Let’s face it, Sasquatch sightings in BC are no longer breaking news.  One of the positives that “reality” tv has done both for Cryptozoology and ghost research is to normalize it.  The general populous no longer sees those of us who research as complete nutjobs.  Certainly most academia and skeptics still do, but the general public has become used to us.

A few weeks ago I was speaking to a friend and someone nearby happened to overhear.  He commented that he was pretty sure his dad’s Ontario farm had some Bigfoot activity.  I asked who he reported it to and he said nobody—that they see footprints all the time so it isn’t a big deal.

WHAT? Not a big deal? Only the holy grail of researchers—a private land, as yet unsearched, with ongoing activity! Rest assured, I secured the address and permission to visit when I can.  Canadian weather scares me more than a bigfoot encounter so I’ll wait until spring.

In the meantime, the “boring” side of the research continues.  I’m still reading and learning about native traditions to try to understand the sighting of a hooved man on a nearby reservation.  I’m still scouring the internet for new, worthy reports on all sorts of creatures.  I’m still networking with other credible seekers so that we can share ideas and information. I’m still learning about the Far North project by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and will devote a whole post to that soon.

What I’m not doing, though, is buying “Gone ‘Squatchin’ “ t shirts and milling about the woods in the dark with a large group of friends.  I’m not taking a tv crew to a mountain to recreate what someone said they saw.  I’m not pouring money into projects designed more for notoriety than for evidence collection.  I’m not regurgitating previous books under new names to fund any memorabilia projects.

Eight months a year I am on the road.  Part of that time is spent speaking and teaching at various conferences and part of that time is in the field.  Researching the unknown is my full time job—one that doesn’t net me enough to live on, but that I dearly love. It probably would be easier to make some profound but untrue statement and get “famous”.  It probably would be more financially worthwhile to do some more TV.  Like most of you, though, I didn’t sign up for this to be rich or famous.  I do it because I love the work. I love the challenge.  I love the learning.

I appreciate you all who are boots on the ground and test tubes and library research.  You are cryptozoologists.  You are the ones who will find the answers.  You are my heroes.