Saturday, January 17, 2015

Bad news everyone!

Bad news everyone! I pulled two cams that weren't working properly at our Bluff Creek east ridge location. I just ran some tests and they both have faulty PIR sensors so they just keep taking videos until the card fills up. These cams were older model 2012 Bushnell cameras. Looks like one has some water damage. A bear had twisted the bear box around so water pooled in the bottom. It kind of makes me sad because this camera belongs to Mark Vergemort who passed away last spring. We were hoping it would last but it appears that it's pretty broken. We are on our way to reaching our goal to purchase some new batteries. We even got a generous donation of 240 alkalines to run the cams during the summer (only lithiums can last the cold winter).

So at this point we need to get at least two more cameras going in the next few weeks to continue our complete coverage up on the ridge where we got the ringtail. If you guys have any extra old cameras lying around you could donate that would be really awesome! Or you could donate to help replace them with new cams. I'm going to add a cheaper camera option since these cams were not the "Black Out" models. We just need the regular Trophy Cams. They run about $144 each right now on Amazon. Anything helps!

http://igg.me/at/BluffCreekProjectWinter2015/x/1011896

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Watch the New BLUFF CREEK PROJECT Trail Camera Results, plus BCP on the News, and Our New Funding Drive, and More

A Post, Brought to You by BIGFOOT'S bLOG...

http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/

Image of a Ringtail from Twin Lakes, just east of Bluff Creek.

BLUFF CREEK PROJECT, an extension of our former BLUFF CREEK FILM SITE PROJECT, has a new set of Winter 2014-15 wildlife results from the cameras at one of the ridge lakes above Bluff Creek itself. The actual watershed of Bluff is closed during the winter by the USFS, but our cameras are still down there running until late Spring when we hope to return. See below for the latest videos, plus the previous ones from Summer 2014 and earlier.

The Project is running another funding drive for the expensive lithium battery replacement and maintenance of our some 20 cameras currently deployed. From Jamie Wayne, head of trail camera deployment:

"I just launched the Winter crowdfunding drive so we can get some new batteries for the cams. Please sponsor a camera! Only $12! We need to start getting ready to service the cameras in the spring. I just used the last our lithium batteries to keep our Reconyx going for another 3 months."

Check here at Indiegogo for information and to contribute to this public research project: http://igg.me/at/BluffCreekProjectWinter2015/x/1011896

Bluff Creek Project Logo, art by Wes Losner

JUST UP, a new blog/website for the Project, still under construction:
http://bluffcreekproject.blogspot.com/

Find BLUFF CREEK PROJECT on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/BluffCreekProject

Also, local Humboldt/Northcoast NBC television news featured the Project the other day, here:
http://kiem-tv.com/video/rare-ringtail-cat-other-animals-captured-trail-footage



HERE ARE THE VIDEOS...





Current highlights:


 A kinky bear:


Past highlights:


Fabulous bears at Twin Lakes:

Summer 2014 on the PGF Site:

Animals at the "Altar" at the MK Site:

 Three Mountain Lions!:

 A Cat on Patty's Trackway:

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Thanks to all who have joined us in BLUFF CREEK PROJECT by contributing, joining us in Six Rivers National Forest, or just by sharing links to our posts here and on Facebook!


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Visit... http://bigfootbooksblog.blogspot.com/ for  more information.

News station picks up our latest footage!

The local NBC news station KIEM News 3 has run a short story on our latest trail camera footage. Check it out here:

Please sponsor a camera for only $12!

I just fired up the crowdfunding page so we can get some new Lithium Batteries for the cams.

Some of our best footage from over the years!

I thought I'd like to make a post sharing the best of our footage from over the last three years. We've caught hundreds of bears and deer but some of most spectacular footage is of rarely seen animals like cougars and marten. We even managed recently to capture some footage of a cryptic ringtail cat!.


This highlight video is from our best season so far 2013-2014. We caught several cougars prowling the creek together. We think this is the same mother who had two cub the previous year. The cub are starting to get big!

This some of our best cougar footage!



This is our most recent video!

About the Bluff Creek Project

About the Bluff Creek 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 volunteer 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 and most of us much longer. 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 for the winter of 2012-2013. 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.


Our perspective:

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 donations covering whole cameras will have the option of receiving back the used camera unit. It is, however, encouraged that you contribute the camera to next year’s project. Any leftover cameras and materials will be put to use for the next overwinter season. There is little chance of the cameras being found but they are sometimes damaged by bears and exposure.

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 old trail cameras, audio recorders, night-vision, binoculars, video cameras, etc. 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.