Group plans expedition in search for Bigfoot

Eric Altman
Sean Stipp/Tribune-Review

Details

For more information on the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society visit the Web site or to report a sighting, call 724-374-5555. Visit Stan Gordon's Web site or contact him at 724-838-7768 to report any UFO or Bigfoot sightings. To contact the Pennsylvania Researchers Organization, call 724-523-6779 or visit their Web site.



By Marjorie Wertz
For The Tribune-Review
Sunday, April 11, 2004


The truth is out there for a group of amateur investigators who search for evidence of the existence of large apelike creatures roaming throughout western Pennsylvania. The creature known as Bigfoot is described as standing nearly 8 to 10 feet tall with footprints measuring 17 or more inches in length. It has been seen by hundreds of witnesses over the past 50 years.
Eric Altman, of Jeannette, hasn't had a sighting of the elusive creature, but he's heard unidentifiable sounds and tracked miles of large inhuman footprints in the woods of central and western Pennsylvania.

"In the summer of 2000, I was investigating a Bigfoot sighting in Bradford County when I heard growling, mumbling, raspy breathing and heavy footfalls in the woods," said Altman, who, along with his wife, Kathy, are the director and secretary, respectively, of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society. "In some sightings, people have reported hearing it sound like a woman screaming."

Denny Calisti, and his wife, Colleen, also of Jeannette, serve as the society's assistant director and treasurer, respectively, which the couples formed in 1998. Calisti became intrigued by all things paranormal as an 11-year-old boy growing up in the Export area. He was walking in the woods when he saw something large, standing on two feet that he couldn't identify. The Calistis also head the Pennsylvania Researchers Organization, which involves them in wildlife and scenic photography, paranormal investigations, archaeology, and cryptozoology.

"Some of the Bigfoot sounds from all over the U.S. were recorded and taken to university audiology departments," said Calisti. "Although some were identified, others couldn't be and researchers said the closest the unidentified sounds came to were primates."

Since the inception of the society, Altman and Calisti have collected about 500 sighting reports.

"We get about five sighting reports per week, with most being older sightings," said Altman. "We jump on recent sightings and go to the scenes and try to collect evidence."

They search for footprints, fur, and other tangible evidence, including animal carcasses, to prove or disprove the existence of Bigfoot.

"We don't know if Bigfoot exists or not," said Calisti. "I'd say we have a healthy skepticism."

"It's very black and white," Altman said. "There are people who completely disbelieve and those who are absolutely convinced that there is a Bigfoot. We don't know. That's why we go out and try to locate evidence whenever we get a sighting report."

Westmoreland County is a hotbed of Bigfoot activity, with sightings reported in the Mannito area, Luxor, Derry Township, Hempfield Township, Latrobe, Ligonier, and Greensburg. Altman and Calisti have found unusual footprints too large to be called human.

"We found a set of tracks in January 2003 that were in 15-inch-deep snow," said Altman. "The tracks were 19 inches long, bare feet, and went on for five miles in the northeastern part of Westmoreland County."

Stan Gordon, a nationally known UFO and Bigfoot researcher and investigator, has received hundreds of Bigfoot sighting reports as well.

"There were alleged sightings of Bigfoot from the late 1890s in the area," said Gordon, who lives in Greensburg and has investigated UFO and Bigfoot phenomenon since 1969 when he set up his first UFO hot line. "The earliest Bigfoot sighting I have recorded is from 1931 in Indian Head, Fayette County."

During April and May 1972, police in Westmoreland County began getting odd animal sighting reports.

"One report said that a large gorilla had been seen running across Route 30," said Gordon. "People reported hearing screaming sounds. Sightings of a big hairy creature chasing dogs around the Route 130 area near West Point were called in to the police."

Beginning in July 1973, Gordon said the reports of sightings increased dramatically.

"It wasn't just in western Pennsylvania, but throughout a seven-county area," he added. "Our group was very active. We were taking calls 24/7."

His research teams were typically at the scene of a sighting within minutes.

"What we found were very emotional responses from the witnesses, trails of large footprints, and unusual animal reactions," Gordon said. "Dogs were basically paralyzed. They hid and didn't bark. We also found that the dogs didn't eat properly for several days afterward.

"I've interviewed doctors, nurses, policemen, and children who have reported sightings," he said. "But I keep their identities confidential because they don't want publicity."

Reports called into the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society are also kept confidential. Each year, the 80-member society holds 15 to 20 expeditions throughout the state. During the expeditions, people equipped with cameras and high-powered binoculars are positioned in strategic locations to observe, while others explore out-of-the-way hiking or game trails searching for proof of Bigfoot. Members utilize recordings of alleged Bigfoot sounds to try to lure the creature out.

"We also broadcast different animal sounds, such as a gorilla and wounded rabbits," Calisti said.

The first major Bigfoot expedition this year will take place on April 23, 24, and 25 in the foothills of southwestern Pennsylvania. Sixty researchers from New York, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia will participate in the expedition. A base camp will be set up at Keystone State Park and several teams will conduct day and night observations in numerous areas of suspected activity. The exact location of the expedition is being kept under wraps until the first day of the expedition. Researchers will utilize thermal imaging and night-vision equipment, camera traps, DNA traps, and vocalizers during the outing.

"We've got university biologists, retired state police, federal marshals, and university engineers coming to the expedition," Altman said. "It's amazing the background of these people who are interested in this. And we have people requesting to come, including a microbiologist from Harvard University. But we're only signing up 60 people."

The society will also host its sixth annual East Coast Bigfoot Conference and Expo on Sept. 25 at Gator's Lounge, Jeannette. Guest speakers will include Mike Frizell, director of the Enigma Project, of Maryland; Travis McHenry, founder of the Paranormal Research Response Team, of Norfolk, Va.; and Don Keating, director of the Eastern Ohio Bigfoot Investigation Center, Newcomerstown, Ohio.

"We don't claim to be professionals," Altman said. "We're just people with an interest in this subject. We try to be as objective as possible in our investigations."

Marjorie Wertz is a freelance writer for the Tribune-Review.


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