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The Bigfoot prints, found near Johnson Creek last week,
have been termed a "hoax" and "fake" by one of the world b
leading authorities. , i
Peter Byrne, a 50-year-old former professional hunter in
Nepal, who switched from tiger shooting and yeti hunting to
tiger conservation and Bigfoot hunting, assessed the prints
last Friday. .
After surveying the prints, looking at photographs and
talking to many people, Byrne, and two assistants also
looking, Lynn McKinney and John Cordell, found the prints to
be "faked "
"The tracks are faked", Byrne told the Gazette-Times
from his Bigfoot Information Center in The Dalle Monday,
"they are not at all what a Bigfoot print should look like.
Byrne operate the modest Bigfoot Information Center in
The Dalles and describes himself as the "only man alive who
has made a profession out of this extraordinary search.
He has been doing it for five years, supported by admission
to a small exhibit and by small donations from various
sources, including the Academy of Applied Sciences, also the
chief sponsor of the current Loch Ness Monster expedition.
Byrne said that right and left footprints were quite
different", causing him to note that if the tracks were real,
the animal had "two entirely different feet."
Byrne said he deduced that the tracks were fake by tne
outline of the feet and the shape of the toes in the prints.
Byrne said the original story said that "hundreds of prints
were found." Byrne said he saw maybe a dozen prints.
"Guy (Patterson) showed us the prints and most were not
prints at all but figments of his imagination," Byrne said.
Byrne arrived in the area with Cordell on Friday, nine days
after the first findings and four days after Pattersons
alleged tracking. Two good rains had fallen before Byrne
arrived in the mountainous area.
Byrne said he wanted it to be clear that he thought
"Patterson is honest and one of the finders ... not involved in
a hoax." Byrne said Patterson's findings and "interpreta
tions were amateurish and 100 per cent wrong."
Byrne said many "tuffs of grass" and "natural
depressions" were construed as Bigfoot prints.
"I have seen these for 20 years," Byrne said, "and there
was really nothing there."
Byrne said he "seriously doubts" that Patterson tracked
the animal for three miles as he stated. "There is not a
person in the world that can track in pine needles. You could
co all the way to Borneo and not find anyone."
Byrne, who said he saw "maybe a dozen" prints, said he
would have "loved for them to be real. But, our opinion is that
they were faked." .
"If there were the least chance that they were real, we d be
over there." Byrne said.
"4
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Ttia print tea found Thursday
morning, before the Dig ram.
(G-T Photo)
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MEPFBIEI2
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VOL. W. NO. 2
HEPPNER.OR
Thursday, August 12. 1976
' i m ' iflr ' - .s.
Pounding rains scor summer
follow, delay harvest again
4 ' - ' -'" it ' . . , , Z if t -
Muddy waters wash down Clark's Canyon road and over
bank into field side ditch. Rains did little crop damage
but thwarted combine ignitions. (G-T Photo)
Pinball wizards stop
city amusement tax
A small contingent of cfe. restaursnt and
Uvern owners strode into the Heppner common
council chambers Tuesday, demanding equsl
rights or no rights at all.
The group appesred before the council in
opposition to proponed ordinance th.t would
tax all amusement devices in the city.
Saying the ordimnce would be "against
pmple that have them (amusement devices) and
"dincriminatory". the small group asked thit the
council consider business tax for all Heppner
businesses,
Ron Palmer, owner of the Wagon Wheel,
became speaker for the group early in the
discussion stages. Palmer was emphatic when
he told the council they were "picking on
tavern and cafe owners.
The proposed lax would have charged 1100
a year for pinball and f.ioe ball tables; and $50 a
year for shuffle board and pool tables.
. Some of the owners threatened to ckne
down and said others not in attendance felt the
same way.
After tome diK-uwn between ctwnnlmen.
Mayor Jerry Sweeney said "lets forget the
ordinance."
Around the Uble. Cliff Green was opposed
to the ordinance; Robert Jones was opposed;
Ray Boyce was "dead against" it; and Warren
Plorharsky. after some thought, went along
with the council.
Boyce said that when the first city budget
was defeated and the second passed after a
lopping session, the city was trying to eeek
sources of revenue.
The original ordinance for the city was
written in 1916 and amended in 1952. In 1973.
the entire ordinance was rescinded because one
owner told the council he couldn't afford the tax
and survive ss a business.
In other business, the council:
e adopted city council agreement saying
the city and county would form a Joint municipal
corporation. The agreement M7 i"lic
court will have all or certain judicial Jurisdiction
over the city. The ordinance Is retroactively In
effect on August 1.
agreed to proceed with measures to rid
the town of an already condemned house on
Chase Street near the Mobile Station.
It's just one of those
unfortunate things you have to
face if you're going to be a
farmer.
Tnat'a the way Louis Carl-'
son of lone described last
Friday's quick, pounding
rains, that will Inevitably
delay area wheat harvest for
another week.
The harvest got a slow start
to begin with, some farmers
as much as two weeks behind
schedule; and with the Friday
storm, coupled with other
hard downpours, It will go on
through fair days and Into
September.
Varied reports had as much
as two Inches falling in a
three-day period from Thurs
day to Saturday.
At Carlson's farm, 17 miles
south of lone, the rain "didn't
hit here as hard as some
places." But, Carlson, who
takes his own rain recordings,
found 103 inches of wet stuff
in three days.
The crop damage was not
visible, Carlson said, but grain
quality and grade will suffer.
Carlson's farm at Hardman
received an even harder
rainfall, "probably in
ches" in that Thursday to
Saturday period.
The main damage, as was
the word from many farmers,
was done to summer fallow.
The plummettlng cloud burst
Just beat the fallow down.
Carlson said he may get
started on the combines again
by Thursday but. he said, it
will take warm days and
warm winda.
The rains are "postponing"
harvest, Carlson said, and the
economic loss is coming from
quality loss.
"You have to expect It,"
Carton said. It's Just like any
other business, you have good
years and bad years."
Bill Padberg's land in
Clark's Canyon received some
summer fallow damage. A
large silt dam was filled up
and broke loose, sending a
huge gush of muddy water
down the canyon.
The road, right off the
Hcppner-Condon highway, re
ceived ample damage when
Padberg's summer fallow,
being leased by Pat Cutsforth,
took a rain beating Friday and
mud didn't enhance the
rounds growability.
Padberg said he figured the
area got "better than an inch
'It's jusf like any other
business; you have good years
and bad years.'
the waters ripped part of the
asphalt up in two or three
different spots.
The water crossed that
Clark's Canyon road about
three times doing less than
extensive damage but enough
to put county road workers on
the Job.
Louis Carlson
on Friday" but said crop
damage was minimal. Pad
berg said harvest for him
would probably start on Thur
sday or Friday but again, he
said warm days and warm
winds would have to dry the
wheat.
John Martin, also living in
Oregon Wheat
Harvest-Morrow and Umatilla County is about 35 per cent
complete. Rain has delayed the harvesters once more. The
Willamette Valley has about 15 per cent harvested, the
Mid Columbia area about 40 per cent. Union and Wallowa
counties should get on the stick towards the end of the week.
InspectorsThe Oregon grain inspectors, represented by
Longshoremen, have a contempt of court charge pend.ng
before them. They walked off the Job last week for a period of
time to consider the news about alleged grain inspection
scandals. This evidently was in protest of the allegations. The
State of Oregon said that this was in violation of the
court-ordered Injunction placing them back to work. The
court will decide on Aug. 13, this Friday.
The longshoremen have until Aug to argue the case
about the 'go-back -to-work' injunction. If they don't argue,
the injunction is permanent. Then, both the State and the
longshoremen must submit to binding arbitration of their
dispute.
Market-Dropping with vigor. Last Friday, it closed in
Portland at W 35 for August delivery. Reports are that very
little new crop wheat Is being sold ... if any at all. Delays in
harvest along with dissatisfaction with the price are believed
to be the cause of no sales.
Clark's Canyon, reported that
from Thursday at 6 p.m. to
Friday at 6 p.m., his farm
received about one inch of
rain.
He said there was no crop
damage except for some
washing on east facing hill
sides. Martin said that his
farm has received a little over
two inches already this month
and the ground's saturation
caused the washing.
Martin's acreage took on .52
of an inch in about one and
one-half hours late Friday
afternoon.
He said that at the head of
Clark's Canyon at the Ron
Haguewood farm, rainfall al
most doubled.
Mrs. Haguewood said that in
about one hour, the farm
received 1.05 inches. She said
it was only the third time in 20
years that the water and mud
had crept up to her doorstep.
"Diversion ditches just cou
ldn't hold it," Mrs. Hague
wood said. "I had to roll up my
pant legs and wade to the front
door."
Riley Munkers of the Mor
row County Grain Growers,
said the rain "isn't helping
any." Munkers said there was
no sprout damage. Harvest
resumption is anyone's guess
Munkers said, noting that a
Thursday-Friday start is con
ceivable, if, warm weather
continues.
Munkers said that in these
rains, the wheat geta "too
much moisture in the kernel",
causing poor storage. Mun
kers said 12 per cent moisture
was ideal and that Monday
morning samples went as high
as 17 per cent.
Even If the warm weather
continue and the wheat drys
out, farmers are still in for an
economic loss. Munkers said
that after the grain drys out. it
can lose weight per bushel
Munkers, the chief buyer
and seller of area wheat at
MCGG, said harvest now will
run into September. He figu
red harvest to be 35-40 per cent
completed.
- Don Gilliam MCGG, takes
some rain gauge tests in
Heppner. He said that for the
month, Heppner has received
1.51 inches of rain. That's way
above last year's months total
of .82 inches. The average
monthly rainfall is only .32.
The first day of August,
Gilliam said, there was more
rain than the monthly aver
age. On August 1. the city took
on .33 of an inch. Last Friday
there was .71 and Saturday .46
inches.
Senators
to visit
Hatfield
Sen. Mark Hatfield
will be In Heppner today
at 3: IS p.m. to visit with
local citiicm. Hatfield
will be at the Wagon
Wheel for citlien Input.
Jernstedt
State Senator Kee Jerav
stedt. from this 28th district
will be In Heppner Monday
afternoon.
Jernstedt will attend the
lleppner-Mormw County Cha
mber ef Commerce lunch and
Immediately afterward, aoia
a public forum at the F.lk'a
Dining room for citlien Input.
The meeting will start at 1
p.m.
Boardman city manager
Jim Thompson will Ulh at the
Chamber of Commerce meet
ing. He will sneak
man's present growth aa
projected growth.
Schools face
projected growth
Matt Doherty realties that the population has Increased in
north Morrow County. The thing he doesn't know, is f.ow
many of those new faces will be attending Morrow County
"It's impossible to tell how many are school related."
Doherty, Morrow County school superintendent, said this
week, calling story In a Pendleton paper last week, "not
totally accurate", concerning a school facility crunch.
"There Is a population Increase In the north end of the
county," Doherty said, "and projected increases are
anticipated for early fall."
Right now, four classes are being built at ivivrrs.u
School in Boardman and eight new class rooms are being
built at A C. Houghton Elementary school In Irrigon.
But. they won t be ready by the start of school, slated for
Sept 1. The completion date is set for late November.
"If the population Increases past" the present building
projects, "we'll have to lake some kind of temporary
facilities." Doherty said. Including in his list of poswibililie.
stages, multl purpose rooms, etc. He also said teachers
would be doubled up with larger classes lor team teaching
' We feci we can handle it." Doherty said, hut noted that "if
wf re caught in a bind, we may have to rent space from
churches, granges, or other organizations."
r..Knv ani.l he cchi dn t conceive mai uir uiun. - :
Kuv la use ren a laciimes, sih.ii mm u -
Hed.d not discount the possibility thougn. ii wou.u nc .v
be quite a crunc h before we d consider that," Doherty added.
tvherty said that additional staff has been hired to take a
hltle slack off current staff employees.
iXiherty said most of the populate was coming from
agri business related projix-ts.
We anticipate, as the er rolls on. that additional
population would come from Portland General Electrtc's
project"