B4 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 30, 1997 Mysterious local sightings in book about sasquatches WAS THAT mysterious brown flash through the trees a bear, or was if some- thing more? Not that you'd likely admit it, but could you have seen a sasquatch? Terrace isn’t a hotbed of bigfoot sight- ings, but evidence has been found in the area, Scientist and author John Bindernagel recenily released a book about sasquatch sightings across North America. He says it’s very possible that there could be many more sasquatch sightings here than have been reported, since people aren’t willing to subject themselves to almost certain ridicule. The sasquatch is still relegated to the status of mythical creature, since mainstream science hasn’t accepted any of the evidence presented so far. Sasquaiches are thought to be past of the great ape family. They stand upright and can walk like humans. They’re also known to throw stones, and make screaming noises, The myth exists in native history as well, says Bindernagel. The name sasquatch is translated at ‘‘cockle-eater’’ or ‘‘digs in the sand’? in north coast dialect. In another northern native language, the name translates to ‘‘smoking snow,” refer- ring to wispy breath of sleeping sasquatches, coming up from the snow. The best evidence Bindernagel has in the Terrace atea was a sighting in July, 1976 on the bank of the Skeena river, Bob Titmus, who has since moved from Terrace, spotted 17°’ tracks made by some- thing he suspected was a sasquatch. He made a plaster cast of the tracks, and Bindernagel has a photo of that cast. The tracks weren’t the only evidence, Many branches at approximately waist height were snapped. “It’s displaced behaviour for nest build- ing,’ says Bindernagel. There were two other recorded sightings in the norlhwest. In January, 1957, Buzz Harrison was driving a truck from Hazelton to Smithers. He saw an animal in the snow which he thought was a bear until it stood up and walked across the road behind him. Whether or not it was a bear is an obvious question, acknowledged Bindemagel. ‘‘But people in the north are offended by those questions. They see bears all the time. Tacy know enough to identify that what they’re seeing isn’t a bear.” In the late 19603 in Houston someone was picking berries in August when they saw a sasquatch at close range, with a human like face. Bindernagel has been intrigued by sasqualches ever since 1963 when he was a student at Guelph University and heard a — story about an ape man spotted in Califor- nia. Bindemagel moved out to B.C. in 1975 to be a wildlife biologist. He soon learned to keep his theories about sasquatches to himself. The best evidence Bindernagel has in the Terrace area was a sighi- ing in July, 1976 on the bank of the Skeena river. | ‘T¢’s not a subject one speaks about publicly or seriously,”’ he said, He kept his mouth shut for years, since he was con- cemed about his employability. Bindernage] has a PaD in wildlife ecology and biology. Then in 1988 he found a really good track of a sasquatch on Strathcona Island, That re-triggered his interest. In 1991 he gave a presentation to the provincial fish and wildlife branch and he “didn’t get booed ar jeered.’’ That en- couraged him to start collecting material for a book. “| kept saying to people, ‘if you knew what I knew you'd take this seriously.’ So I decided to collect together afl the evidence that’s been reported.” Bindernagel has also enlisted modem equipment in his search for the definitive proof, He has automatic cameras set up on islands off the lower mainland. So far he’s captured moose and other wildlife on film, but no big apes. 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