Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum - America's "Bigfoot Professor"

[chuff8xt]

Amazing that he can provide BigFoot population estimates based on dust and misidentified bear dung.

Why doesn't he publish a paper to add to our knowledge of reproductive rates and mortality of non human primates? Just think his work could be added to a Table like this:
Mortality and fertility parameters for nonhuman primates and humans
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746941/table/t01/?report=objectonly

from
Alberts, S. C., Altmann, J., Brockman, D. K., Cords, M., Fedigan, L. M., Pusey, A., … Bronikowski, A. M. (2013). Reproductive aging patterns in primates reveal that humans are distinct. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(33), 13440–13445. http://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1311857110

If you look in Google Scholar, DJ Meldrum has publications from the late 1980's up into the early 00's where it starts to taper off, but then there doesn't seem to be anything since 2013. If my cursory lit search is accurate, then any career as a legitimate researcher ended some time ago.

 

[The Shrike]

Where would I look to find these talks about birds in my area?
I live in southeast Georgia.

DM if you need more help than this, but I'd first look for a local Audubon chapter.

 

[DennyT]

I particularly loved his idea that the Wallace tracks are from the Patterson individual i.e Patty. He was inspired to figure that out from watching his now-ex curl up her toes while watching TV.
This is what passes for science.

Another quote:

A large sample of footprint casts and photos, representing a wide temporal and geographic range, has been evaluated by Meldrum (1999, 2004, 2006) and others (e.g. Bindernagel, 1998; Krantz 1999; Murphy, 2004).

None of these citations are proper peer reviewed publications. The Murphy 2004 is of course the paperback picture book Meet the Sasquatch, written by a freelance writer who a few years previously had declared the PGF to be a fake based on some imagined drawstring toggle.
As the proud owner of the later edition Know the Sasquatch I can tell you that there is indeed quite an extensive and colorful section on tracks.
This is what passes for science.

 

[DennyT]

Murphy (p. 116-170) does get some credit for going beyond Meldrum’s fantasy-based healthy imaginings unscientific screeds musings by actually doing some experimentation with stompers.

In this section Murphy also publishes two papers by Meldrum that had not been accepted for publication.
The first is the paper represented by the 1999 abstract cited in the taxon paper: Evaluation of Alleged Sasquatch Footprints etc. This paper was once upon a time available on the ISU server but but has since been removed. It can still be found elsewhere.

The second Meldrum paper published in this section of Murphy’s book is undated but written after the 1999 abstract. I had not seen this anywhere before:

Dermatoglyphics in Casts of Alleged North American Ape Footprints.

This is hilarious. Hook, line and sinker...

...1963...Hyampom...dermal ridges are evident flowing parallel to the edge of the foot...Officer J.H. Chilcutt...dermal ridges trend lengthwise ...especially along the margins...multiple independent examples of footprint casts and thousands of miles, each displaying consistently distinct dermatoglyphics constitutes significant affirmative evidence for the presence of an unrecognized North American Ape.

. —-p. 161-165

 

[DennyT]

Searching, I find there is something out there,

Dermatoglyphics in casts of alleged North American ape footprints. (Biology Poster Abstracts)
Author(s): D. Jeffrey Meldrum and Lonny G. Erikson .
Source: Journal of the Idaho Academy of Science.
Document Type: Brief article
Article Preview :

D. Jeffrey Meldrum* Perennial reports of giant apes, commonly referred to as Bigfoot or Sasquatch, have emanated from the montane forests of the United States and Canada. Hundreds of large humanoid footprints have been discovered, many of these have been photographed and/or preserved as plaster casts. In some instances, soil...
Source Citation (MLA 8 th Edition)
Meldrum, D. Jeffrey, and Lonny G. Erikson. "Dermatoglyphics in casts of alleged North American ape footprints. (Biology Poster Abstracts)." Journal of the Idaho Academy of Science, vol. 37, no. 1, 2001, p. 36. Academic OneFile

The “Article Preview” above is identical to the opening sentences in the Meldrum piece printed by Murphy. However, in the book, Meldrum is the sole author and no credit to or mention of Erikson, probably a student.

 

[DennyT]

So does he mention this paper in his CV? Hilariously Murphy puts an actual red flag on the DJM paper!! And follows it wth Matt Crowley’s paper on plaster pouring artifacts in the Blue Creek Mountain casts!! When the professor gets redflagged by freakin’ Chris Murphy...well...

That is a big matzoh ball hanging out there. —-Jerry Seinfeld

 

[HarryHenderson]

So does he mention this paper in his CV? Hilariously Murphy puts an actual red flag on the DJM paper!! And follows it wth Matt Crowley’s paper on plaster pouring artifacts in the Blue Creek Mountain casts!! When the professor gets redflagged by freakin’ Chris Murphy...well...

He's been "redflagged" a thousand times. The problem for us (the rational skeptic opposition?) is nobody else really gives a **** what "The Snake" is up to besides us. He could go in and completely change those papers to something about Aardvarks and nobody with any heft would say a ******* thing about it, and mostly because they all couldn't care less what he does. Which is what makes Meldrum's evil that much more diabolical as he's actually affecting the entire planet's population (not just BLAARGers). He's already effectively gaming the system by totally subverting the public trust aspect of the "scientist seeking facts empirically" equation. So his taking advantage of the apparently widespread apathy that surrounds him and his employ just adds icing to the cake. And it involves him simply doing to them (i.e. the ones that should but don't care) exactly what he does to BLAARGers (i.e. the ones that do care): lies/pretends/portrays everything he is doing and saying is coming from a place of "genuine science". It's such a simple and effective lie that he can actually live it day-to-day without fear of rebuke. It's quite pathetic to more normal people.

 

[HarryHenderson]

Was able to search his base salary on the transparent idaho website.

https://transparent.idaho.gov/Pages/transhome.aspx

Doesn't look like the State of Idaho likes to pay much more than $40/hr. to anyone short of a judge. Meldrum's at $36+/hr.

Just a few (real) names from the list:
Alan Allen - Services Navigator @ Department of Health & Welfare
Babe Baker - Temporary Employee Health District
Sierra Beach - Graduate Assistantship UI
and
Aida Midgett - Department Head @ Boise State

 

[EHocking]

Doesn't look like the State of Idaho likes to pay much more than $40/hr. to anyone short of a judge. Meldrum's at $36+/hr...

Well, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
(or, somewhat paradoxically in this case, no monkey at all).

 

[DennyT]

He's been "redflagged" a thousand times. The problem for us (the rational skeptic opposition?) is nobody else really gives a **** what "The Snake" is up to besides us. He could go in and completely change those papers to something about Aardvarks and nobody with any heft would say a ******* thing about it, and mostly because they all couldn't care less what he does. Which is what makes Meldrum's evil that much more diabolical as he's actually affecting the entire planet's population (not just BLAARGers). He's already effectively gaming the system by totally subverting the public trust aspect of the "scientist seeking facts empirically" equation. So his taking advantage of the apparently widespread apathy that surrounds him and his employ just adds icing to the cake. And it involves him simply doing to them (i.e. the ones that should but don't care) exactly what he does to BLAARGers (i.e. the ones that do care): lies/pretends/portrays everything he is doing and saying is coming from a place of "genuine science". It's such a simple and effective lie that he can actually live it day-to-day without fear of rebuke. It's quite pathetic to more normal people.

Well put!
Sharon A. Hill has a new post, discussing a piece by Marc Eaton on ghost hunters, who have many similarities to bigfooters.

The technological, sciencey view, he says, is supported by TV shows. We both found that TV shows were highly influential in how ghost seekers behave (the how of ghost seeking). While there were Ghost Hunters before the TV show, the explosion of participants came after these shows. I think viewers who eventually became active in the field were compelled to act on their interest by the ease of participation. (If these ghost plumbers can do it, so can I.) As part of the lay public, they assumed what the TV ghost hunters were doing was “science”. It looked and sounded sciencey to them. This assumption is based on the premise that we learn what science is supposed to look like mostly through media representations of it, not because we actually know what science is and how to do it.

When most people accept these media depictions as science, then by coping that template, you are effectively doing science in the eyes of the public. Members of the public who chose to investigate the paranormal have been influenced by guys playing pretend scientists on TV; they go on to role-play as a scientific investigator themselves and convince other members of the public. It’s science LARPing. I can’t conclude it has much to do with scientism – it’s what they think they are supposed to do.

 

[DennyT]

Gwyneth Paltrow and Tom Brady sellin’ it:

Paltrow leveraged her famous name to make scientific claims without any scientific evidence.

There were aromatic sprays that promised to “help prevent depression” and jade and rose quartz vaginal eggs to “balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles… and increase bladder control.” Goop claimed that $120 “biofrequency healing sticker packs”—that were supposed to “rebalance the energy frequency in our bodies”—were used by NASA to line space suits and track astronaut vitals. NASA promptly slammed these claims.

 

[HarryHenderson]

Well, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
(or, somewhat paradoxically in this case, no monkey at all).

Clever! Speaking of cheap minkeys.

...As part of the lay public, they assumed what the TV ghost hunters were doing was “science”. It looked and sounded sciencey to them. This assumption is based on the premise that we learn what science is supposed to look like mostly through media representations of it, not because we actually know what science is and how to do it.

When most people accept these media depictions as science, then by coping that template, you are effectively doing science in the eyes of the public...

Add in the fact he's an actual scientist doing that same dance and we'd probably have to spend millions of dollars and lose thousands of skeptical lives trying to prove to a now convinced public he's not doing actual science.

Meldrum's biggest problem despite the ongoing success of his scam is he can't see the future and its serious potential to, essentially, falsify Bigfoot. Not quite there yet, but I can see it happening. Then he'll wonder what it was all about, forgetting of course it was all about the chicks, man.

 

[DennyT]

Falcon fallout

Word on the street ‘net is that there is some residual bitterness: Meldrum “was a major part of that Falcon project which destroyed at least one life (guy left living in his car after having driven across the u.s. to work as part of the ground crew which was abandoned by the project organizers - bonus points car was broken into and the guy lost everything in it which was everything he had left in the world).”
This is an astonishing story waiting to be told.

 

[HarryHenderson]

Anyone going to be surprised when scumbag Don "The Snake" Meldrum finally comes out (of the closet?) and mean-mouths this guy? Actually I doubt he'll ever say anything about it, his ruse is far more dependent on his saying very little than saying something intelligent. It's why he'd NEVER come here to discuss Bigfoot with us. Yet this place is probably the most neutral moderated Bigfoot ground he could hope to find on the Internet. Basic facts would be his problem Kryptonite.

 

[Cervelo]

Word on the street ‘net is that there is some residual bitterness: Meldrum “was a major part of that Falcon project which destroyed at least one life (guy left living in his car after having driven across the u.s. to work as part of the ground crew which was abandoned by the project organizers - bonus points car was broken into and the guy lost everything in it which was everything he had left in the world).”
This is an astonishing story waiting to be told.

That sounds like Nathanfooter over at BFF (Bigfoot Fantasy w/Friends) he did get his gear stolen, but it doesn't sound like it was the ruination of his life. He apparently has purchased a fairly expensive thermal cam.
But on the other hand, if your wasting thousands of dollars on gear to film a myth....it could be a kind of ruination if the money could have been spent on...I don't know.....something with better chance of happening like...lottery tickets!

 

[The Shrike]

But on the other hand, if your wasting thousands of dollars on gear to film a myth....

Kind of where I am with this stuff. We need to protect the stupid and gullible, but sometimes they go out of their way to make it difficult to do that.

 

[Resume]

Kind of where I am with this stuff. We need to protect the stupid and gullible, but sometimes they go out of their way to make it difficult to do that.

You really can't protect the credulous from themselves.
https://bigfootforums.com/topic/62469-you-win-mega-millions-jackpot-tonight-how-much/

of it do you spend/gift on BF research and how understanding that 1% of the cash received would be about $9M depending on where you live?

The correct answer is zero (0) percent.

 

[HarryHenderson]

You really can't protect the credulous from themselves.
https://bigfootforums.com/topic/62469-you-win-mega-millions-jackpot-tonight-how-much/...

NathanFooter on BFF (the lost it all on big blimp dreams guy):

If I was on the receiving end of such a deal ? --- I would contract to share partial rights/ownership ( sponsor 60% / myself 40% ) of any footage and or audio collected. The annual contract would also obligate me to be out in the field a minimum of 162 days a year conducting research and additionally hours at home to sift through and compose the data into a viewing format for the public.

If I was in the position of being able to sponsor ? --- I would commit a yearly contract with a select group of serious field researchers I have worked with in the past few years. This contract ( including time commitment details ) would provide 62 K a year per person as salary, under a contract to share partial rights/ownership ( sponsor 60% / contracted 40% ) of any footage and or audio collected.. This would contract up to 16 individuals for a potential of 45 year study at the cost of around 45 million.

Not $60k a year, $62k. And not a 5 year study, a 45 year study. He just won $1.6 BILLION yet only has a Bigfoot budget of $45m. "Nope, I can't afford to spend any more than $45 million on Bigfoot because any more money and it would just look like I was a fool." It took a lot less than that.

Will you solemnly swear to look for Bigfoot for 45 years @ $62k per year? Nope, I want $64k.

BobbyO said:

Would also spend a tonne of money and get the SSR in the best shape of its young life.

I didn't know what SSR was. The BFF's Standardized Sighting Record database. Spend a 'tonne of money' doing what exactly with the database? Instead why not buy tracts of actual Bigfoot country itself considering you have plenty of money? "Nope, gotta get that database off life support and up to snuff before we even think about finding Bigfoot."

Wait, nevermind, figured it out. Redbone said:

There'd be a crew of people paid to double check every SSR entry for accuracy (to correct my mistakes) and funding for groups to establish their own sightings databases, so they can get added to the SSR

Got it. Because paid crews of random strangers can only help? You do realize it was $1.6 BILLION DOLLARS right? And yes, not having enough "sightings databases" is the real reason for the lack of Bigfoot.

 

[Squatchy McSquatch]

Nathanfooter went from lowballing himself on a 60-40 split to demanding 62k per annum. Within the length of two paragraphs.

Nathanfooter is also — proudly and vocally — homeschooled.

 

[The Shrike]

You really can't protect the credulous from themselves.
https://bigfootforums.com/topic/62469-you-win-mega-millions-jackpot-tonight-how-much/

Huntster is back?!! Our bet still stands, btw. Once a bigfoot is collected and proven to exist, I fly up to Alaska and treat him to a prime rib at the steakhouse of his choice.