This is the official crowd-funding page for the Bluff Creek Project's trail camera survey of Bluff Creek.
Please help us get some trail cameras down at the PG film Site!
We need some help getting cams to put down at the film site. We have six already but we need a few more to cover the creek and downstream by the bridge. This is a not-for-profit operation and all footage is open-source and not covered by complicated copyrights and NDAs. We are sick of the other projects holding out on their footage for documentaries or copyright issues. We will immediately release the footage for all to enjoy. If we all work together and get the cams down at the creek we have a real chance of getting a Bigfoot on camera.
This is not for our personal gain or status, it is just for pure science. These cameras take an HD video of anything that moves down there and run all year long 24/7. They are silent and have their lights filtered so they are practically undetectable.
If any donors want to go visit the site we will take you there. We have a trip planned in late August after Bigfoot days, a couple in September and one in October. If you help out with the project we will cook you some awesome dinner and breakfast at camp and guide you down to the film site.
I understand that we all have differing opinions on the nature of Bigfoot, but we can't let these get in the way of genuine research. We welcome all types of assistance and help with our work.
About the project:
The Bluff Creek Project is an open-source volunteer project initially formed to locate the original Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film site. It consists of several project contributors who volunteered their time and gas money to complete the mountains of field work needed to confirm the site's location. We have been researching the area formally on foot since 2009. Recently, during the summer of 2011, we successfully located the original film site and completed a detailed survey of the surviving monuments and trees. This survey has been an enormous contribution to the Bigfoot research community and can now be used to exact dimensional data from the film and make accurate measurement of the creature's pathway and size.
Trail camera survey:
The trail camera project was launched in July of 2012, and successfully raised enough money to purchase four high-end trail cameras. We committed all of our personal trail cameras to the project as well, for a total of nine cameras installed at the site. The cameras were installed in late October 2012 on the 45th anniversary of the film. The cameras spent seven months in total down at the film site, capturing the movements of Bluff Creek's inhabitants. We had a few camera failures, but all of the newly purchased cameras performed flawlessly.
We have learned many lessons and fought several battles to pull off the project. We captured hundreds of videos of bears, deer, and a cougar. I hope to publish a small research paper containing the findings and data after the completion of a total of one year of deployment of the cameras. We think that the summer and fall months are the most active for the area and wish to include them in the paper. After all, "Patty" was filmed in the PGF in late October, with reported activity preceding that in August, yet we didn't install the cameras until late October.
What we need:
We would like to continue the trail camera project over the winter of 2013/2014, and have a few needs for our continued success. We would like to raise enough money to purchase a couple new cameras, some bear-safe camera housings, and fresh batteries for the other cameras we currently have. We had amazing success with the 2012 Bushnell Trophy Cam, and wish to purchase new 2013 models.
A list of their features can be viewed here:
http://bushnell.com
The current price on Amazon.com for all items needed is:
$223.35 - Trophy can HD Max
$31.99 - Bear box for cameras
$20.37 - 32gb SD memory card
$22.99 - 12pk of Energizer lithium batteries
$446.70 - two cameras
$127.94 - four bear boxes
$40.74 - two 32gb SD cards
$137.94 - six 12pk Energizer Lithium batteries
Total: $752.32
Sales tax: $56.424
5% Indiegogo fee $40.44
Grand total: $849.18
Although the grand total is $849.18 we will set the goal at 551.84 which is the cost of one camera, batteries, and bear boxes for the other cameras.
We intend this trail camera survey to be an open-source project, where all media and data is published immediately after collection for all the world to see. The main problem with similar camera projects is that all media and data is subject to strict non-disclosure agreements and stipulations. This is to protect any cash value associated with a potential Bigfoot image or video. We believe as a team that the commercialization of such a project is fundamentally unscientific. As a premise for the camera project we will practice full transparency during the entirety of the project. All videos and photos of any note will be published immediately after they are collected. They will be offered freely on the internet for non-commercial use for anyone who wants to use them for their own research. Any commercial use of the videos that results in a cash profit will be invested back into the Bluff Creek Project for use in the next season’s efforts.
While the subject of Bigfoot is quite controversial, it is still an enigma that captures the interest of people worldwide. The possible existence of such a creature is highly debated and subjected to constant skepticism from all sides. It is our opinion that if Bigfoot exists it is a physical, biological animal, and not paranormal in nature. Any animal that is real can be photographed and caught on video. Modern trail cameras are very high resolution and can take clear HD video of any animal that triggers the sensor. Such cameras have proven to be a valuable asset to any biological study of rare animals.
Contributors making sizable donations covering whole units will have the option of receiving back the used camera unit after this coming winter of 2013-2014. It is, however, encouraged that you contribute the camera to next year’s project. We will ship the camera to you after June 2013 when we retrieve the cameras. Any leftover cameras and materials will be put to use for the next overwinter season. There is of course the possibility that the camera will be damaged or stolen during the course of its use. This is unlikely due to the remoteness of the area and the roads being closed for the duration of the winter.
All contributors will have their name cited in the accompanying summary paper of the project. If you wish to remain anonymous please indicate so in a private message.
We also will be accepting physical donations of equipment and gear. Please contact one of the members of the project if you have some equipment to offer. We could use some old trail cameras, audio recorders, night-vision, binoculars, video cameras, etc. All donations are non-refundable. We do not expect an image of a Bigfoot creature as a result of this project (though that would be great!). We do however expect lots of HD video of local wildlife including bears, deer, elk, and cougar.
Perks:
We have two perks offered for donations this year. First off is a new project of mine and that is an official PG filmsite map which details all the locations and movement of Patty as she walks up the creek. It will also have Roger's filming position and Patty's location on the sandbar for the famed Frame 352.
We are also very excited to offer the chance to see the Bluff Creek PGF film site in person. For a donation of $300 we will take you down there. We camp at one of several locations down near the film site.
We will cook you an awesome meal for dinner and breakfast, and coffee for the morning of the hike. The film site is accessible by high clearance 2wd vehicles with all season tires (A Subaru can make it but a Civic will have a hard time). You are responsible for getting to the camping area and driving down to the trailhead, but you can catch a ride in one of our trucks if need be. You can also just stay at a hotel in town if you wish. If you are too far away to drive you can fly into the Arcata airport and rent a car. The filmsite is approximately 60 miles north and then west of the town of Willow Creek and takes about two hours to get there. You are responsible for all your own travel accommodations and expenses. All we will provide is good company, good food, and likely some good beer.
We expect to be taking several trips down to the site between now and late October 2013 and we can work our schedule around yours. The hike is about 1.5 miles and takes less than an hour. There is a ~400 foot elevation gain on the return hike so you might get winded if you are not is good shape. We would prefer that only healthy adults go on the hike, but we have had kids and older folks down there without too many issues. If you can't make it or miss the date we can still take you out Bigfoot hunting at one of our prime locations closer to town. Or you can wait until next spring when the snow melts.
About the team:
Robert Leiterman
Rowdy Kelley
Steven Streufert is a blogger, writer, thinker and bookseller residing in Willow Creek, CA, the "Bigfoot Capital of the World," and just down the road from Bluff Creek where the Patterson-Gimlin is found. He blogs at http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/ and has written about Bigfoot since 2007, and studied the subject since 1999 (after a brief period of obsession as a kid). Since 2005, Steve has run Bigfoot Books, a mile and a half east of downtown Willow Creek, where many sightings are still reported to this day. The store is a hotbed of Bigfoot information. In 2009 the Bluff Creek Film Site Project was formed by Steve and Ian C., and a year later they were joined by Ranger Robert Leiterman. It reached fruition in 2011 when the site was rediscovered and conclusively proven and documented, with the help of Rowdy Kelley and Jamie Schutmutt. The next step in the Project is to find if there really are these Bigfoot creatures living in the area today, and perhaps it may be proven with the proposed game camera endeavor. Steve finds this a fascinating prospect, even if all we get are bears and mountain lions crossing that old sandbar.
Jamie Schutmutt:
I am 28 years old and currently a geology student. I was a participant in the 2010-11 United States Antarctic Program. My current interest in the subject of Bigfoot stems from listening to Art Bell on Coast-to-Coast AM radio while I was a kid. I have since grown up, and through a twist of fate I find myself living in Humboldt County, California. The site of the Patterson-Gimlin Film is in close proximity to my house, and that re-kindled my fascination with the subject. I met up with some local researchers and offered my assistance in their research at the film site. I worked on the hard trigonometry and mathematics involved in exacting dimensions and geometry for the film site survey. I am a post-Dawkins atheist and paranormal skeptic. My contributions to the field include field research assistance and several short essays. I do not "believe" in Bigfoot. I posit that the modern word "belief" has been taken to the level of blind faith and disregarding of evidence and logic. I do, however, posit that there is sufficient current evidence of the creature to warrant further studies. I suppose that if I see one that I might "know" they exist.
*** We are still in the process of editing this document so bear with us we get the typos fixes and add some clarifications.
