Bigfoot researchers plan session

Staff report

Leetonia

Researchers from Ohio’s Genoskwa Project, a Bigfoot research group, will host an information session in the community room of the Leetonia Community Public Library, 181 N. Walnut St., at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The researchers hope to address the four reported Bigfoot sightings that have occurred in northern Columbiana County this year and hear from residents who may have had personal experiences. Two additional sightings have occurred this year in Carroll County and Stark County.

Sightings have occurred in Columbiana County near Franklin Square as recently as July 7, and the researchers from the Genoskwa Project are interested in firsthand accounts so they potentially can focus field research in the area. Dan Baker, one of the founders of the group, emphasizes that the group wants to create a positive atmosphere where the public can learn more about Bigfoot and share their experiences without persecution. The presentation will include audio footage as well as plaster foot casts and firsthand experiences from the researchers.

The Genoskwa Project is a team of dedicated researchers who aim to prove to the world that Bigfoot exists and to gather required evidence to support scientific studies of this elusive being. The core of the team consists of five researchers who gather empirical evidence and firsthand stories to support their studies. The group has members throughout the country who participate in the research.

“Genoskwa” is a Native American term for a large creature with hard, plated fur that was believed to attack and kill Native Americans. It now is used to describe a creature believed to be a cousin of the more well-known Sasquatch. It often is depicted as being larger and more aggressive than its milder cousin of the Pacific Northwest.