Animal Planet Finds Bigfoot June 5th

Two sources bring to our attention the official release date of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot

FIRST SOURCE: REAL SCREEN

Looking to end the 100-year old search for the mythical creature, Animal Planet is joining forces with Bigfoot researchers on a new series Finding Bigfoot.

As highlighted in Animal Planet’s upfront presentation and airing on June 5 at 9 pm (ET/PT), the Ping Pong Productions six-part series follows a team of Bigfoot researchers in their cross-country expedition to locate the beast.

The four-person team from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) goes to locations of alleged Sasquatch sightings to investigate with reconstructions and the latest technology to determine whether they were real or not.

The BFRO team is made up of a former roadie, a science teacher, the BFRO president and a skeptical scientist.

Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet, Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions and Marc Etkind is VP of development for Animal Planet

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SECOND SOURCE: VARIETY ONLINE

Animal Planet has set a premiere date for "Finding Bigfoot," its new hourlong skein devoted to hunting down the much-mythologized critter over the course of six episodes. The show will premiere Sunday, June 5 at 9 p.m.

Show follows a four-person team from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, which exists, as they search for the Sasquatch in forests across the country where sightings have been reported: North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska.

“The main mission of the BFRO is to resolve the mystery surrounding this great American phenomenon,” said org co-founder Matt Moneymaker. “I can’t think of a better way to do that than by going on location and visiting each reported Sasquatch sighting.”

FULL OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

ANIMAL PLANET HUNTS FOR THE ELUSIVE SASQUATCH IN NEW SERIES, "FINDING BIGFOOT"

-- New Six-Part Series Follows the Sleuths of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization As They Traverse the Country in Search of the Legendary Beast --

(Silver Spring, MD, May 4, 2011) - For hundreds of years, Americans in nearly every state have claimed they've spotted the mysterious and unexplainable creature known as Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. However, no one has proven that this pedaled creature - reportedly standing more than seven-feet tall and covered from head to toe in dark hair - actually exists. And as the myth grows, so does the passion for validating its existence once and for all!

Beginning Sunday, June 5, at 10 PM (ET/PT), Animal Planet joins the quest with FINDING BIGFOOT. In each hour-long episode of the six-part series, cameras follow a team of Bigfoot researchers in a cross-country expedition to dissolve the myth and locate the elusive beast.

A four-person team from the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) - the leading scientific research organization exploring the Bigfoot/Sasquatch mystery - investigates supposed Sasquatch sightings by interviewing locals, examining evidence and infiltrating the woodlands and forests in places where Bigfoot has been reported, including Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. In each state, the team listens to harrowing tales of run-ins with Bigfoot before generating reconstructions of the encounters to judge their plausibility or dismiss them as hoaxes. Then, outfitted with the latest technology, including night-vision and infrared cameras, the team sets out on exhilarating and eerie investigations where any broken branch or peculiar noise could mean a Sasquatch is lurking nearby.

The BFRO Team is comprised of a former roadie (Bobo), a science teacher (Cliff), the BFRO president (Matt) and a skeptical scientist (Ranae); each teammate has varying experiences with Bigfoot and differing beliefs about the existence of this enigma. What binds them together, however, is their longing to understand the creature, passion for proving its existence and willingness to stop at nothing to finally track down Bigfoot. In the end, will they verify the presence of Bigfoot and convert skeptics, or will this obscure American legend elude them too?

"The main mission of the BFRO is to resolve the mystery surrounding this great American phenomenon," says Matt Moneymaker, co-founder of BRFO. "I can't think of a better way to do that than by going on location and visiting each reported Sasquatch sighting."

FINDING BIGFOOT is produced for Animal Planet by Ping Pong Productions. Keith Hoffman is the executive producer for Animal Planet. Brad Kuhlman and Casey Brumels are the executive producers for Ping Pong Productions. Marc Etkind is Vice President of development for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media
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EXTERNAL LINKS
Real Screen: Animal Planet searching for Bigfoot
Variety: Bigfoot found! (Maybe)

In Defense of Todd Standing

Well somebody has to do it (defend Todd Standing, that is). His mother wont return our phone calls and and his sister has denied all knowledge. The first part is a joke and the latter is true. For the record, Louis Standing was very kind and polite both times we contacted her.

No, no! Its not us, we are not in the defend Todd Standing Camp. In fact, he is one of only two individuals we continually mock here; Tom Biscardi and Todd Standing. These two controversial characters are considered hoaxers by some, and there is not much tolerance for hoaxers in this community of Sasquatch searchers. Nor should there be.

With that said, we also know how smart our fans are and they can form their own opinions. The gist of his letter is Adrian Erickson bought all of Todd Standing's films and material and that is why his site and youtube channel disappeared. We have mentioned our concern with with the Erickson project purchasing Standings materials before.

Below Richard Stubstad references our post titled Todd Standing Jumps the Shark, and takes the time to defend Todd. Let us know what you think. Without further ado...

My name is Richard Stubstad, and my rather intense but admittedly limited involvement in the bigfoot or sasquatch world is briefly summed up at the following link:

http://www.footprintsinyourmind.com/Richard_Stubstad. Basically, what I did both before and after all the hoopla about Todd's purported "Jumping the Shark" is research at least what could be fairly conclusively researched, and either confirmed or denied.

Firstly, Todd didn't really Jump the Shark; his footage etc. was bought out and he was therefore forced to shut down his Sylvanic.com website as it originally existed. Actually, this would support the theory that many of you seem to have that he is making "tons of money" from his work (hoaxed or otherwise). I don't really know how much money he has made, in total, to-date. I do know however that his work is continuing, but now with better equipment in his possession. I also believe (but do not know for sure) that the amount of money he's made to-date is FAR less than what he has spent over the last several years on either taking real videos of sasqaui (the plural of sasquatch) or hoaxing these videos & pictures.

Eventually I purchased for a whopping $5 each all three of Todd’s videos and had a look-see myself, as did several of my "bigfooter" friends. After some time expired (a month or two after the release of Video 4), I finally called Todd up there in Edmonton and had about a one-hour conversation with him; not so much to find out whether his stuff was hoaxed or not (he’d of course say it wasn’t hoaxed, regardless) but just in case it wasn’t hoaxed, then what about some of the details that you folks have brought up, and other details no one mentioned yet? While his explanations to my questions seemed a little outlandish, well, so is the idea itself of a hominid called sasquatch, so what did I know? I for one have never seen one, or even seen anything I could mistake as a sasquatch. Ergo, does sasquatch exist? Does a wolverine exist? Maybe the former, definitely the latter, even though I’ve never seen either.

Todd and also his wife also explained to me that it wasn't even Todd's camera that he used on "Expedition 4"; it was his stepson's camera and he didn't bother to check the date on it, let alone reset the date before he departed on this purported one-man, half-cocked as he probably was.

Next, I can report what I got out of the conversation, over and above any conclusions about whether or not his stuff is the real deal: Todd is a very spiritual guy, with a whole lot of “faith” in what he calls the First Nation peoples—the American Indian tribes. He has obviously relied on the history and knowledge that these Native Americans possess, even though most of their history is not recorded in writing but rather has been passed down through oral traditions. He also relies heavily on the First Nation folks' knowledge of the wilderness, both regarded bigfoot and otherwise. Conclusion: Todd is definitely a kind-of “romantic” and is quite an eccentric, at least on European-American terms and maybe even on anyone’s terms. Having said that, I still don’t have much of a clue whether his stuff is the real deal or not—after all, once again, I wasn’t there!

I also asked Todd whether he gathered any supporting evidence during his Video 4 expedition, for example something we could extract DNA from, such as hair roots or swatches of blood. “Well, no,” Todd explained. He “didn't really believe that DNA sequencing could be carried out that would prove or disprove the existence of such a creature, so I didn't bother to look for any evidence apart from the video footage and pictures from his stepson’s camera.” He also didn't bother to cast any tracks, and in fact I doubt if he had any plaster of Paris with him—too much stuff to carry along on a one-man wilderness trek, to be sure.

I beg to differ with him on the DNA part of what he said, and I told him so. He said that he could try, this year (2011), to get some hair (with roots) at least. We'll have to wait and see, then, if he does so. He said he would, but I don’t really know if he was serious (let alone honest).

Last but not least, when the folks on the various bigfoot forums who claim to “know” that Todd Standing actually hoaxed some or all of his materials, I did check out the assertion that his purported Search and Rescue of October 2010 was also hoaxed. I did this with the help of a forensic-type friend of mine who is also peripherally into the bigfoot-associated business, and he (or she) quite easily found the following local newspaper clipping:

RCMP Report

Columbia Valley Pioneer October 22, 2010 Edition (Weekly regional newspaper)

Submitted by Staff

Sgt. Marko Shehovac

Columbia Valley RCMP

• On October 19th, Columbia Valley RCMP were contacted regarding a man who was dropped off in the back country and had not returned. The 37-year-old from Edmonton was dropped off in the Mitchell River area, off Settlers Road, approximately 47-kilometres from Invermere, on Tuesday, October 12th. He had arranged to be picked up from there on Sunday. When he failed to return he was reported missing to the police on Sunday night. Invermere Search and Rescue were contacted and while searching for the man, discovered his sleeping bag. No other equipment was located. Police were aided by a police service dog out of Cranbrook. On Tuesday, October 20th, additional Search and Rescue from Kimberley and the RCMP helicopter arrived to continue the search. At approximately 10 a.m., Search and Rescue came upon the man, who was unhurt. He explained that he had been unable to get back on time for his pick up. The Detachment would like to thank both Invermere and Kimberley Search and Rescue for their assistance in resolving this matter.

While the above newspaper clipping doesn't really prove anything about whether Todd Standing hoaxed his Video 4 or not, it does mean that at least part of what he maintains towards the beginning of the video happened, and DID in fact happen, pretty much as he explained in his now off-line Video 4. It also shows that the RCMP et. al. apparently withheld his name—unless there was, all of a sudden, someone else of the same age and hometown as Todd's, and on the same exact date who was also "rescued" in the same general area? Or: unless I'm actually hoaxing the above newspaper clipping? If you'd like a web link to this very clipping, please contact me by email (Stubstad@VenturaMail.net) and I'll send you the link, just in case you really are such a die-hard skeptic that you believe I'm in on the so-called "obvious" Todd Standing hoax(es) as well?

Best of luck to all of you, whether you are a bigfoot believer or not. It is certainly true that much of the existing evidence HAS been hoaxed. I personally doubt that ALL of it has. The best quality film or video evidence—the P-G Film and the Todd Standing footage—well, I don't really know for sure and I probably never will, since no DNA exists that can be associated with either.

Richard Stubstad

Ojai, California

Adrenaline Hunter Looks for Bigfoot

While it's best known for broadcasts of Trail Blazers and University of Oregon Ducks games, Comcast SportsNet Northwest a focus on other kinds of activities, says David Manougian, the channel's general manager.

One of these broadcasts is, Wanted II: Adventure Woman where local women compete to host thier own outdoor adventure show.

This years winner was Bethy Rossos. One of the episodes of her show, Adrenaline Hunter, focuses solely on BFRO investigators in the Olympic National Forest.

Below is an excerpt from the Comcast SportsNet Northwest website promoting the Sasquatch Episode

BIGFOOT, SASQUATCH, OR BY ANY OTHER NAME...

Growing up a country girl living not only in the sticks, but in an area known for Bigfoot sightings, I have definitely played with the idea that Bigfoot could be real. To be honest, there was even a sighting on the corner of my family’s property a couple years before we bought it. The prospect that Bigfoot is a living breathing being is nothing new. Bigfoot is known by many different names, and stories of this creature have dated back for centuries.

Traveling up to Olympic National Forest and meeting with the BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization) was the only place to go to get the real skinny. This is an organization that compiles information, data, and sightings from not only around the United States, but also around the world. I was able to sit in on a meeting with the group and listen to the encounters that they have all had in this particular location. They presented footage of sightings and footprint casts. I couldn’t wait to get out there and have my own encounter. So I guess the best time to experience such an event is late at night. I was taught how to use the night vision cameras and the thermal image cameras. I had to be ready for spending the night out by myself for the next night’s hunt.

We took a day trip to some of the locations where Bigfoot had been sighted. It was important to see what the area looked like and be familiar with it in the daylight. While we were out, we came across an old dark train tunnel. When I went down into the tunnel, it was unbelievably spooky. I don’t know. I guess being in the dark by yourself and looking for Sasquatch tends to stand the hair up on the back of your neck.

After our long day hunt, I thought it would be important and fun to make a nice meal for the crew. They were amazing to work with, and I wanted to thank them. I took control of the kitchen for the night and made some gumbo. Mmmm it was yummy, and got us ready for the late night hunt.

Here we go! My first hunt for Bigfoot! I was stoked! I was learning from the best, and hopefully I would get to tell my own story after tonight. Well, it was pouring down rain and incredibly hard to hear which poses a little bit of a problem when you are trying to listen for Bigfoot. I was soaked to the bone, but still thriving off of the adrenaline of the anticipation of the possibility of my first encounter. I was out for awhile in the dark making big foot calls. Yes, I made big foot calls which to me sounded like a scream. However I was told that it was the mating call to male Bigfoot. WHAT? I was giving mating calls to a Bigfoot! Don’t know if that’s a good idea. Well, the bigfoot must not have been interested in me because there was no sight of him! I guess that could be a good thing.

We decided to use the wood knocking technique. I made a sequence of knocking sounds on a tree. After the process at a couple different locations, we were on the top of a ridge, and I proceeded to make a sequence of knocks then we all listened closely. All of the sudden, we all at the same time actually heard a strange form of knocking repeated back at us. It was the CRAZIEST thing ever!!!!!

EXTERNAL LINKS
The "Adrenaline Hunter" finds northwest adventure
BIGFOOT, SASQUATCH, OR BY ANY OTHER NAME...