CATSKILL KIDS Beware of Bigfoot!

By E. Merwin

Imagine hiking in the Catskills and crossing a meadow in summer. You feel the warmth of the sun. You hear the buzz of the cicadas. And suddenly you sense someone or something is watching you. You turn, and in the distance, you see a towering dark-furred creature on the edge of the woods with its eyes locked on you. Do you run, do you scream? Terrified you look away, but when you glance back, it’s gone.

Thousands of such sightings happen each year across the United States. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a creature as tall as eight feet and often estimate its weigh to be over 600 pounds. Some have taken pictures of its big, blocky footprints in the mud, claw marks gouged into a tree or telephone pole. And from most reports, it likes to be alone.

What is this fearsome creature?

It depends on who you ask. Tens of thousands of Sasquatch eyewitnesses will say, yep, just another Bigfoot-while others will swear it’s a bear. In this month’s Catskill Kids’ column, we’ll let you decide on the possibility of this famous *cryptid living among us in the mountains of New York state.

*cryptid= a creature, such as the Loch Ness Monster, that people believe they have seen, but so far has been too tricky to be caught or leave scientists any trace of its existence

While on a trail, you might come across a sign like the one I recently passed on the bank of the Delaware River about a mile from my home. Like me, you’ll probably stop in your tracks—then either fearlessly keep walking or, if you’re like those people who have reported sighting Bigfoot across the country, you might take a different path.

According to Matt Moneymaker, founder of Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), his group “has received nearly 75,000 reports of bigfoot sightings over the years, but only considers between 5,000 and 6,000 of those reports to be *credible.” To be added to the list, the Bigfoot eyewitness must be interviewed by BFRO investigators who “favor reports from adult eyewitnesses and even folks who were *skeptical of Sasquatches before their sighting — rather than, say, an amateur Bigfoot hunter who goes out with the intention of spotting one.” (Bartiromo, 2022)

*credible= believable

*skeptical= someone who is not easily convinced. This word comes from the Greek skeptikos that means “asks a lot of questions.”

As for New York State, BFRO has added 113 investigated sightings to its list. One possible Bigfoot kept reappearing so often that upstate locals nicknamed it the Kinderhook Creature. In his book, Bigfoot Encounters in New York & New England, Professor Robert Bartholomew reports eleven local encounters with this ape-like creature. Within a two-year span, each witness described a beast similar to the one that stepped into the headlights as it crossed Route 9 in April 1980. With thick fur, long arms and walking on two legs, according to the driver “it looked like a highly evolved ape.” (2008)

Long before the Kinderhook Creature popped out of the woods, for thousands of years local tribes of the Haudenosaunee had told of the Ot-ne-yar-hed or Stonish Giants. Unlike the shy Bigfoot who always runs off into the woods, these creatures were dangerous. Like the hairy Windigo of Algonquin legend, they were powerful predators who in addition to a diet of swamp moss and rotten trees, ate humans. Were these giants, the ancient much scarier ancestors of Bigfoot?

Across North America, teams continue to search for evidence of Bigfoot. In 2022 many Sasquatch experts gathered for the 3rd Annual Bigfoot Conference to share their “sense of discovery towards a creature that may or may not exist.” One scientist, *primatologist Dr. Mireya Mayor, explained why. “For me at the heart of science is that curiosity for the unknown and the wanting to be able to find answers for this mystery. And really nothing’s more mysterious than the legend of Bigfoot.” (Othoudt, 2022)

*primatologist= scientist who studies our primate relatives, such as, monkeys, apes and lemurs

So far, no skulls, no bones, no hard evidence that Bigfoot exists have been found. And so far, the only Great Ape in

North America is us. However, it’s amazing to think that each year new species are discovered worldwide—about 18,000 a year! Could Bigfoot be the next?

References

Bartiromo, M. (2022, August 27). These states have more ‘credible’ bigfoot sightings than others, according to bigfoot investigators. https://www.newsnationnow.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023, from https://www.newsnationnow.com/science/these-states-havemore-credible-bigfoot-sightings-than-others-according-to-bigfoot-investigators/

Bartholomew, R., PhD. (2018). Bigfoot Encounters in New York & New England: Documented Evidence. Hancock House Publishers Ltd.

How Many Species Are Left to Be Discovered? | Blog | Science Museum of Virginia. (2018, May). Science Museum of Virginia | for Curious-minds of All Ages! https://smv.org/learn/blog/how-many-species-are-left-be-discovered/

Othoudt, J. (2022, October 17). Minnesota Bigfoot Research Team Holds 3rd Annual Conference in Grand Rapids. Lakeland PBS. https://lptv.org/minnesota-bigfoot-research-team-holds-3rd-annual-conference-in-grand-rapids/

Meet Little Big Foot!

Legends live on—with or without proof. Whether Sasquatches are out there stomping around the Catskills Mountains or not, they certainly exist in our mind—just Google Bigfoot and check out any of 34,500,000 results to see how these creatures are alive and kicking in American culture.

I must admit that coming across that Bigfoot warning sign also grabbed my imagination. Meet Little Big Foot, LBF for short. He’s the creature on the right in front of this tree on the edge of the Delaware River. LBF and his fellow creatures are descendants of the Sasquatch, but having been rejected, they have formed their own sleuth*. Living throughout the Catskill Mountains, they avoid human primates although they are curious and mischievous. Undetected, they often stalk campers to steal their clothes, food and fishing gear. To learn more about LBF and their sleuth, visit www.CatskillKids.com to read a drama about their recent encounter with three Catskill Kids.

*sleuth= a group of bears or Little Bigfoots

Please note: this one-act play, Little Big Foot, is being published this summer by Drama Notebook, a creative hub of educators, kids and playwrights—sharing lessons, activities and dramas for the classroom and stage! In the meantime, you can preview Little Bigfoot at catskillkids.com. Be sure to leave a message to share your feedback or your own creative ideas!

Visit: emerwin.com • dramanotebook.com