July 13, 2009

2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference

The Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC) recently announced the finalized location for the 2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference. Over the last several years, the annual fundraising event has continued to grow in size from 150 attendees in 2001 to over 500 attendees in recent years. In 2006, the event was combined with the Bigfoot in Texas? exhibit in San Antonio at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures. This year’s event will be in Tyler, Texas at the Caldwell Auditorium and is scheduled for 26 September 2009. The all-day conference event features an impressive list of speakers who present the latest in bigfoot sightings and research.

Internationally acclaimed author Peter Matthiessen will give a presentation at the fundraiser banquet after the Conference. Matthiessen has written more than 30 books, many concerning vanishing cultures and exotic wildlife and landscapes. His 1978 book “Snow Leopard,” set in the remote regions of Nepal, won both the American and National Book Awards. In November 2008 Matthiessen received his second National Book Award for “Shadow Country,” making him the only author to receive both the fiction and non-fiction National Book Award. His remarkable life is profiled in the 2009 PBS documentary, “Peter Matthiessen: No Boundaries.”

Matthiessen’s fascination with the sasquatch phenomenon is longstanding. He mentions American Indian traditions and encounters with “Big Men,” a local expression for the sasquatch, in his 1983 book “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse.” He had previously made references to the yeti in “Snow Leopard,” and he devoted a chapter to the subject in “East of Lo Monthang: In the Land of Mustang,” which is set in Tibet. In 2007 Matthiessen spoke at Idaho State University regarding his yeti and sasquatch insights.

Dr. Esteban Sarmiento, functional anatomist of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, was also recently added to the speaker list. Dr. Sarmiento’s main field of study involves the biology of hominoids and their fossils, but he is also an African primatologist. He has taught and lectured throughout the United States, Europe, South America, South Africa, Uganda and Mozambique.

Here is the speaker list and schedule for the 2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference:

09:00 – 09:05: Brian Brown – Official Greeting, Announcements

09:05 – 09:35: Daryl Colyer – TBRC Investigator

09:40 – 10:10: Jerry Hestand – TBRC Investigator

10:15 – 10:45: Alton Higgins – TBRC Wildlife Biologist

10:50 – 11:30: Esteban Sarmiento – Primate Biologist

11:35 – 11:45: Peter Matthiessen – wildlife author, naturalist – intro

11:45 – 1:00: Lunch break (off campus; food and drink is not allowed in Caldwell Auditorium)

1:00 – 1:15: Robert Swain, artist – discussion of his work

1:20 – 2:00: John Bindernagel – Wildlife Biologist

2:05 – 2:20: Intermission

2:20 – 3:00: Chris Bader and Carson Mencken – Baylor University Sociologists

3:05 – 3:45: John Mioncynzski – Wildlife Biologist, naturalist

3:50 – 4:00: Intermission/Raffle/Panel Setup

4:05 – 4:45: Keith Foster – Rocky Mountain researcher

4:50 – 5:30: Bill Dranginis – Developer of non-intrusive “Eye Gotcha” photographic system

5:30 – 6:15: Panel Discussion moderated by Brian Brown

7:30 – 8:30: Fundraiser Banquet dinner

8:30 – 9:30: Peter Matthiessen at the Banquet

Register for the event on the TBRC website.

Filed under Bigfoot, Bigfoot Report, Conferences, Cryptotourism, Cryptozoologists, Cryptozoology, Cryptozoology Conferences, Evidence, Expedition Reports, Eyewitness Accounts, Footprint Evidence, Museums, Sasquatch