Nessletter - No 042 - 1980

Magazine Overview

Title: Nessletter
Issue: No. 42
Date: October 1980
Publisher: Ness Information Service

Error

The issue begins with a correction regarding the Invermoriston Loch Ness Camp Site exhibition, stating that the Loch Ness and Loch Morar Project people did indeed try to guide the content and layout, contrary to a previous report.

Jeff Watson's Expeditions

Jeff Watson reports on his 1980 expeditions. In February, near Falmouth, he observed unidentified objects in the water at various times, taking photographs. While the first two seemed inanimate (driftwood/seaweed), he observed one object for 40 minutes and another for 25 minutes. Later, in the Polgwidden Cove area, he saw an object for two minutes and another for 90 minutes. Although slides were taken, and the objects differed in size and shape, it's suggested they might have been inanimate debris. Despite extensive expeditions to 'monster' locations in the British Isles, Jeff had no success with animal sightings this year, with these occasions being the only times he used his camera 'in anger'. However, he had a successful year with media coverage, including newspaper articles and a radio 'phone-in' program.

Jim Green's 'Wake' Sighting

Jim Green recounts his trip to Loch Ness from August 18th to September 2nd, 1980. On August 23rd, at 1302 hours, near Castle Urquhart, he observed what he initially thought were white birds fluttering on the water. These 'birds' moved quickly down the loch, creating a broad band of foaming white water, and then disappeared. Jim realized this might have been a 'wake' sighting. He later met Tim Dinsdale, who was very interested and taped Jim's account. Dinsdale suggested the surge of power, estimated at 15 mph, was a creature racing beneath the surface, marking the first tangible evidence of Nessie for Jim after approximately 500 hours of observation since 1974.

Lake Bala

Mrs Wallis sent a note about her trip to North Wales, visiting Lake Bala twice. The first visit was disappointing due to numerous canoes. On the second visit, with no canoes, she found it to be a beautiful but small lake, with nothing to stop one from seeing almost all of it. She never heard of strange animals there and would be surprised if anything was found.

Television Program: 'Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World'

On October 7th, Independent Television screened a program on lake monsters as part of Arthur C. Clarke's 'Mysterious World' series. The Loch Ness segments were filmed in July 1979. The author feels the 25-minute programs suffered from lack of time, mentioning over 60 locations worldwide for strange water creatures. The program covered Lake Okanagan and Ogopogo, with a 1980 sighting of a 14-foot long animal with four limbs and a tail. It also featured film of a hump and wake from a Scandinavian lake, described as 'monster-film' quality. Loch Ness eyewitnesses were interviewed, and Roger Parker of Partech discussed their work, including sonar tracking of an animal for one and a half hours one night, ending at 5 AM when the animal moved away after a toilet flush disturbed it. The Academy of Applied Science was also featured. The program concluded with derogatory remarks about lake monsters and the Japanese inability to catch Nessie. The author found the program interesting but lacking in depth, believing an 'average viewer' would miss many details.

Joe Zarzynski and 'Champ' Protection

Joe Zarzynski sent clippings and a paper regarding a resolution to protect 'Champ'. On October 5th, 1980, he lectured at the Crown Point State Historic Site on Lake Champlain, urging local people to seek an ordinance to protect the 'Champ' community, citing the 1969 Skamania County legislation protecting 'bigfoot'. On October 6th, the Village of Port Henry acted on a Chamber of Commerce recommendation and passed a resolution. The document states that all endangered species are protected, and 'Champ', being apparently unique, warrants protection from harm. The resolution declares the waters of Lake Champlain adjoining Port Henry off limits to anyone harming or destroying the Lake Champlain Monster.

Joe is pleased to have this document, seeing it as a unique paper to impress authorities. He believes Port Henry is a start in protecting the 'Champ' community along the 109-mile length of Lake Champlain. He hopes for greater environmental protection for the Lake Champlain Monsters.

Two new 'Champ' sightings were reported: On July 18th, 1980, Thomas Westphal and family saw a large wake and a coiled snake-like object about 30 feet long on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain. On September 13th, Crystal Cadieux and Craig Mowry saw a long-necked creature with a 'kidney bean' head moving in the water near Route 9.

More Cousins

A clipping from the Toronto Star of July 29th, 1980, reported on Lake Simcoe. Following a sewage dump into Kempenfelt Bay, the monster was not seen there. A report from Cook's Bay described a large animal sighted by John Claude Bergeron and his uncle Gaston Bergeron. It was over 15 feet long, with a hump, a camel-like hump, and a tail seven feet long. It had eyes as big as a cow's and appeared to be a fish but not exactly, jumping in the water.

China: Baitoushan Volcano Creature

A report from the Peking Evening News described sightings at the 6,400-foot Baitoushan volcano crater lake in China. Since mid-August, staff and visitors reported five sightings of a creature with a flat snout and an over-sized head. On August 21st, witnesses saw the dark head of the creature move rapidly, leaving 300 feet of disturbed water. Weather station officials had never seen anything like it before August.

African Dinosaur

Research on an African mystery animal has been conducted by James Powell Jr. and Roy Mackal in the Gabon and Congo. Travelers have reported creatures with elephant-sized bodies, smooth brownish-grey skin, long necks, long tails, and three-clawed feet. Natives identified a picture resembling a brontosaurus as 'Mokele-Mbemba'. Powell felt the animal was part of native culture and might still exist, though its range is shrinking. They were close to finding it but ran out of time and visas. In 1959, a report mentioned an animal killed by a tribe near Lake Tele, with natives stating three animals tried to enter the lake. It is believed they spend days underwater and feed on land at night.

Puma

Mr Ted Noble, a farmer in the Cannich area, caught what he believes is a 'puma' in a trap. He had previously reported seeing a 'lioness'. The animal was identified as a puma and arrangements were made to take it to the Wildlife Park at Kincraig. The park director, Eddie Orbal, stated it seemed accustomed to captivity and had likely not been in the wild for more than a few days. However, police investigations suggested it had been living in the wild, with its previous meals consisting of deer, sheep, and rabbit. The author notes this highlights the difficulty of producing acceptable evidence for 'Nessie'.

Book: 'Photographs of the Unknown'

A book by Robert Rickard and Richard Kelly, titled 'Photographs of the Unknown', was published by New English Library. It contains about 300 previously unpublished photographs of ghosts, UFOs, stigmata, poltergeists, lake monsters, and psychic phenomena, each with accompanying details.

Bigfoot

Although NIS primarily focuses on water creatures, the issue includes a news clipping about a Bigfoot sighting courtesy of Joe Zazynski. On October 4th, 1980, Charles Fulton and his family reported a tall hairy creature on their front porch. It had long white hair, and its face was not visible due to its height. The creature dropped a rooster it was holding and jumped off the porch. Mr. Fulton fired two shots from a .22 pistol with no apparent effect, and observed glowing animal-like eyes.

Sonar

The Daily Mirror of October 10th, 1980, reported on a trawler using electronic fish-finding equipment in Loch Ness. Skipper Jim Bruce stated that while he didn't believe in the monster, what they saw on the echo-sounder was inexplicable. The sounder registered an object described as 300 feet long and 60 feet high at a depth of 720 feet. The author expresses hope that these figures were an error, as they would otherwise make nonsense of the report.

Closing

The newsletter thanks contributors and provides the NIS address and subscription details. The address is Huntshieldford, St Johns Chapel, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham, DL13 IRQ. Telephone: Wearhead 359. Subscriptions: U.K. £2, U.S.A. Canada $8.00.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are lake monsters (Loch Ness, Lake Champlain, Lake Simcoe, and others), with a focus on eyewitness accounts, sonar readings, and efforts towards protection. The publication also covers other cryptozoological phenomena such as Bigfoot and the 'African Dinosaur' (Mokele-Mbemba), as well as UFO sightings. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry into these phenomena, presenting reports from various sources and individuals, while also acknowledging the challenges of verification and the need for evidence. There is a clear interest in documenting and disseminating information related to unexplained sightings and creatures.