"The Ghosts of Ghost Hunting"
By Dana Matthews (2007)

What were the first ghost hunters really after all those years ago? They were free-thinkers in a time of close mindedness; scientists, philosophers, mystics, trailblazers, and pioneers of diversification. People opening their minds beyond the confines of "legitimate" science, by blending philosophy and the metaphysical, science, theology, and a just the perfect dash of creativity. They were asking people to open their perceptions to the possibility that there was more out there to explore then just conventional science.They followed the paths their passions took them with resiliency and conviction; humor and a sense of adventure. Isn't it ironic then, that all these years later what started as a revolution has become a community over run with men and women who refuse to utilize the very perception which began it all.

For the most part a majority of the community have become the self-titled elitist egotists, thumbing their noses at the concepts of free thinking, and disregarding everything but their 'way' as pointless. They attempt to assign rules and regulations to something that for all intensive purposes would function much more successfully if given the chance to evolve by way of experimentation. Is it not logical to conclude that by today's standards those of us who choose to think outside 'protocol,' are actually the ones re-lighting the fires of those historical trails ignited when it all began? Wouldn't they have wanted to see growth as the result of open diversity and exploration? New theories, and conclusions being formed as the direct consequence of thinking for ourselves, instead of accepting the conventional as the 'way'? And above all wouldn't they have wanted it to be executed by way of a healthy sense of humor? I like to think so, and I also like to think that somewhere beyond the veil that separates us from the place we investigate, they're over there cheering for our side.

They weren't sniffing around for acknowledgment, an ego stroke, or a pay check to fuel their passions. They were out there searching the night for answers with all the relentlessness and inventiveness they could muster. They let their fascinations drive them, their fears, their rebelliousness, and above all they did it with style and ingenuity. How many of today's ghost hunters can boast that? Not many, though I can think of a few. When you cheapen something, you weaken the fabric of it for generations to come, and sooner or later its left as nothing but the brittle bones of what it once was, and stood for. Luckily there are people out there unwilling to let that happen, and more then willing to put up a fight to protect a subject that is choking on stagnation because the ripple effect of evolution has been delayed. If you cant accept progression then what you're really saying is you can't accept the very foundation which paranormal research was built upon; and contrary to popular belief it is not ego, money, fame, or acknowledgment.

It started with adventure and exploration; thought and inquisitiveness, and most importantly a passion to understand and a willingness to go against the conventional grain. Those were the roots that drew people to the subject, and the rebels outside the castle walls of conventional ghost hunting remember that, and you better believe we have much more ammunition then just sticks and stones. A revolution is coming; in a way a Renaissance of sorts hearkening back to the days that began it all. Those old ghosts of ghost hunting deserve better then what this has become, and we owe it to them to take it all back if not for ourselves, then for the next generation who need us to leave them something worthy of carrying on. Someone else did it for us years and years ago, and now its our turn, so how do we want to be remembered?

"Hatemail" or "Why Are We So Angry? I'll Tell You, You Stupid.."
By Greg Newkirk (2007)

Hatemail is not an uncommon occurrence here at the GHI headquarters. Considering our unorthodox methods of venturing into the unknown, our stance on the all-for-money-and-fame supergroups/individuals (and their altogether shitty releases of books, radio shows, DVDs, television shows, magazines, websites, and other garbage put together by their inbred team members), and our mission of infusing into our adventures a FRESH and AMUSING look at the paranormal quest, we're an easy target. Most often these hatemail messages are ignored because of their poor composure and lack of a valid gripe, other times they are too amusing to pass up. Then there are special instances like this one.

I opened GHI's MySpace mailbox yesterday to find an email from a supposed 19 year old fan of the television show "Ghost Hunters". Apparently, she was pretty offended by the featured video on GHI's MySpace page ("The Many Faces of Ghost Hunters, Inc.") and the several prods at the stars of that television show, most specifically, the "why are we better than TAPS?" speech ("Because we're better looking and we don't suck dick.... except on the weekends." -Gow). Her loyalty is a strong one, I'll give her that, even if it is sadly misplaced in "reality" television.

The part that really irked me about this particular piece of hatemail was that it was from someone so young.

Usually our hatemail comes from the heinous badlands of the great American trailer park, originating from the dirty fingertips of angry, overweight 40-something "researchers" and "professionals". I have no problem offending and irritating them, because they aren't the future of this community. To us, they are irrelevant, as they very well should be. When all is said and done, they will be a mere footnote in this history (if that) because of their poor outlook and practice of the search. They've got it all wrong, and they're often too set in their ways to change. A lost cause.

I took great care to do something with this email that I don't often do, much to my own (and GHI's) detriment : I responded with a sincere account of WHY we are so against groups like TAPS, WHY their ideals and methods are dangerous to the plight of paranormal investigation, and WHY we're such obnoxious assholes all of the time. Yes, you heard me right, there are *detailed* explanations to each and every one of those, probably a first in GHI history. Maybe that's why we're so misunderstood by so many people, I'm not sure. I always figured that the people who were supposed to "get it" automatically would. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

Before you read the original email and my response, I want to stress to everyone reading that I mean no ill-will toward this girl. She did what any fan would do, she stuck up for her heroes. Even the people who voted Bush in for a second term saw the error of their ways (albeit after much raping of the constitution, but who's counting?). All that I can hope is that she does the same.

Take this to heart people, because it comes straight from mine. I welcome all questions and comments. I'd be happy to respond.

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: JeanetteJinx™:TAPS<3
Date: Mar 21, 2007 12:40 PM

You guys are pathetic.

You say you don't like TAPS because they're fakes, but we all know the truth is you're just disappointed that they are more succesful than you.

They have much more experience and you're trying to make them seem like people who don't give a shit about anything. That is where you are completely wrong. TAPS are the most loving people and have the biggest hearts. Stop picking at every little thing you think is wrong because that won't make you guys any more better, it's just making you all obnoxious. TAPS didn't go to Scifi and "sold their souls" to them. Scifi went to them. I just know jealousy plays a huge part in your roles. Try being supportive and respectful for others in the same field of research as you. If you do not like the way someone works just keep it to yourselves and try learning from their mistakes. Don't go around and start all this nonsense trying to ruin their image and background. TAPS is one of the greatest groups out there and you guys just have to deal with it. k?

----------------- Original Message -----------------
From: Ghost Hunters Incorporated

Date: 21 Mar 2007, 08:31 PM

Jeanette,
I appreciate your email, really, I do. This is not the first time that I've received a piece of mail like this, nor will it be the last. All that I can do is respond, and hope that you will take a moment to truly listen to what I have to say. What I'm going to explain to you is from a 22 year old to a 19 year old. One paranormal enthusiast to another. I don't claim to know more about the paranormal field than anyone else, for anyone to claim that is just plain stupid, because we haven't even scratched the surface of what there is to know. All that I can do is speak from the experience that I've gained from literally growing up in this circle with the rest of the guys. We've been involved since the age of twelve, so we really have grown up around this scene. Our ideals have changed and matured through the years and the community has grown as well. Unfortunately, it hasn't necessarily matured. I'm going to attempt to give you *my* personal opinion of all this, something that I don't share with many people. Then again, I don't come across many promising paranormal enthusiasts in my age bracket either. I really do hope you'll take this to heart.

The issue with The Atlantic Paranormal Society goes back quite a few years. I won't get into it that deeply yet, but I'll start with the more obvious : their television show.

I completely understand when you look at us and think, "gee, those guys are just pissed that they haven't gotten their 15 minutes". I'm not going to speak for the rest of the group, but I can personally tell you that I'm pretty comfortable with the position that we're in now. The only thing that I regret is that TAPS has the power to reach such a broad audience, and they waste it time and time again. Their protocol are so detrimental to the progress of paranormal research that it isn't even funny. You see, instead of nurturing an acceptance of different views and opinions, it's their way or the highway. They have (with the help of many equally detrimental people such as Keith Age, Troy Taylor, or anyone from the International Ghost Hunters Society, to name a mere few) set up a false pretense for anyone who is interested in entering the paranormal field. These people see TAPS, see that they have a television show, consider them credible (because we all know that anything claiming to be "reality" on tv must be real), and model themselves and their views after them. This is a terrible problem for several reasons. The first of which is that TAPS is not a credible organization. I know, I know, you're a huge fan, but hear me out. I'm not saying that everyone associated with the group is not credible, but the way they handle things does not help them (or people who are attched to them) out very much. Here's a perfect example:

Anyone involved in the film and television industry will tell you that it's not the broadcaster (Sci-Fi in this case) that creates or shoots a television show (for the most part), but rather an independant production company. These companies survive by pitching ideas to the studios. If the studio likes the idea, they throw a little money their way and tell them to go make a pilot episode to show to a test audience. If the test audience likes it, the production company are usually commissioned to produce a half season of the show for airing, which is why if you go buy the first season of a show on DVD, it's usually half the size of the second seasons, etc. If the first season is well received (IE: makes them a lot of money), then they comission a full second season, and so on and so forth. That's not really important, but I'm just making sure that you understand the set up.

In the case of "Ghost Hunters", a production company by the name of "Pilgrim Films" pitched for a show sort of like "Worlds Scariest Places" or the UK's "Most Haunted" series. Sci-Fi understood how lucrative that would be, seeing how how hot the paranormal was becoming, and told them to go make the pilot. Little does anyone know that TAPS were not the first group approached by Pilgrim Films. Rather, they approached a group based out of California. The problem with this group arose when they were getting into legal discussions and the case of faking evidence for ratings was brought into consideration.

I don't know how long you've been an enthusiast, but I can tell you that 90% of the time you're out looking for supernatural activity, you don't find it. It's just part of the game, you deal with it. Now, would you say that seeing something spooky only 10% of the time would make a good television show? Of course not. There has to be a way to make the show EXCITING and INTERESTING and WORTH WATCHING. Sure they could film 100 episodes worth of shows and only air the ten good ones, but they won't because they can't. Their budget won't allow for it. What's the easy solution for a production company on a shoestring budget?

Fake it.

When the California based group heard this, they immediately withdrew from the project. Good for them. They understood that if something like that got out, it would considerably marr the reputation of ghost hunters like themselves and others everywhere. So, off go Pilgrim Films to their fallback plan : The Atlantic Paranormal Society. Did two dimwitted plumbers have any problem signing a contract that specifically stated that they wouldn't discuss the "activity" with nondescript members of the public? Of course not, because they stood to make a little extra cash from it, and they have families to feed. I think a lot of people would have made the same decision. I also think it's the wrong decision. I trust most people don't realize that faking evidence of paranormal phenomena is actually a common occurance on the set, because they aren't *supposed* to know that. In the world of entertainment, ratings are what rule the system. If no ones watching, you aren't going to get broadcast, and then you're out of a job. Remember that it's not just TAPS feeding their families, but also a large crew of people working for Pilgrim Films behind the scenes. Cameraman, producers, editors, boom mic operators, grips, etc. They don't want to lose their jobs, so they're going to do whatever they can to keep the show entertaining, and the ratings up, even if that means duping the audience. Want more info on this? Google is a wealth of information. Not everyone that works on that show actually likes it. To them, it's just their job.

The second reason that following TAPS is a bad idea comes back to what I was saying earlier about their false protocol. At some point in the last decade, several prominant ghost hunting groups from around the country adopted some kind of a standard "rule book" for investigating claims of the unknown. What I want to know, is who came up with the rules? Was there a big meeting of all the great minds in religion and science? Did they sit down together and hash out a good rule book that everyone could follow and still adhere to their religious/scientific belief structure? Short answer? No. Instead, there was a big circle jerk consisting of a handful of backwater redneck investigators, who carry no clout whatsoever, and who all believed the same thing. If anyone didn't agree with the majority, their opinions weren't taken into consideration. These "big wigs" of the paranormal set their own standards. I'm speaking in a figurative sense, of course, because this didn't happen overnight at some big paranormal sleepover, but it's the best way to describe it.

You can take 15 people who all believe the same exact thing, use the same exact equipment, and investigate the same exact way and have them go check out *anything*. When they get back, the chances are pretty good that you're going to get one main opinion about the place. Fair enough. Now, take 15 new people, and make sure that they all believe differently than one another, follow different standards, use different equipment and methods, and the chances of you getting 15 different opinions are exponentially greater. THAT is how this field should be working. Progress is a result of diversity. The water in this community is stagnant. We NEED new views and new opinions, because we're being poisoned. That's what happens when you start, and then regularly, digest your own excrement.

There is no ghost hunting rule book. You *can't* write rules for something like this. When you do, you paint yourself into a corner and look like a fool. Instead of a bunch of Paul Bunyans hacking down new paths into the unknown, everyone is just following the leader down the safely paved trail. The unfortunate thing is that the trail is a big circle, and everyone is just going around and around. No progress is being made. No one is evolving.

Another reason that I, personally, loath TAPS, goes back much further than their television show. When I first put up GHI's webpage I was about 12 or 13 years old. Back then, the paranormal was fresh and new to me, I felt like it was only being explored by people who were "in on the secret". My friends and I, the newly formed (Ghost) Hunters, Incorporated were incredibly proud of of our shitty little green geocities website, and our late night adventures into local cemeteries. Admittedly, it took us a few years to get our bearings straight, and to really know what we were doing, but we thought we were on to something big. Besides, we thought our hobby was super cool. While everyone else was out experimenting with drugs and alcohol for the rush, we were out seeking the unknown, a completely different kind of rush.

Guess who used to send us hate mail back then? Yeah, you guessed it. TAPS did. These guys were actually were so mad that "a bunch of kids" were encrouching on "their turf" (we were from the northeast too), that they resorted to sending nasty emails and guestbook entries to a bunch of 12 and 13 year olds. Pretty classy for grown men and women to bully a bunch of a kids, isn't it? Fortunately for us, we liked what we were doing enough to keep at it in spite of all the bad vibes sent out our way. After they got a production deal, they left us alone, but we didn't forget about it. Nor will we ever.

Like I said, I can understand your email, and I can understand seeing our group the way that you do. We don't usually go into this kind of detail with people, and therefor they don't really understand the digs aimed at groups like TAPS. Hell, I don't even know if groups like that even realize how much they're damaging the paranormal society. For that matter, I don't know if they would care if they did know. All they care about is making money while they have their moment. That explains the shitty tours that Brian Harnois keeps running. That explains the shitty TAPS magazine. That explains the bullshit books that keep getting written by Troy Taylor. The part that bothers me the most is that when it comes to this scene, people don't understand that they have an alternative. For the most part, it's all monopolized by what I like to call "the dons", and everyone is to afraid to stop sucking them off.

Instead of swallowing what is being fed to to them, people need to go and strike out on their own. There are no rules, and people need to know this. Ghost hunting is nothing like how it's portrayed on television. You're seeing what the producers want you to see. Nothing more, nothing less. People need to know that too. We're living in an unfortunate age where people are not being nurtured to have a mind of their own. Half of that I blame on the media, and the other half on the government, but that's an entirely different rant in and of itself.

I'm not jealous, Jeanette. I'm frustrated. Nothing would make me happier than seeing another group in the spotlight. A group of people who know what they're doing, who will point people in the right direction, and stop making the ghost hunting community as a whole look like a bunch of crazy assholes. Unfortunately, groups like that are few and far between. Don't you ever wonder where everyone our age is in this field? I know where they are. Glued to their TVs and their computers watching shows like "Ghost Hunters". Fuck. That. Go out and form your own group. Come up with your own manifesto. Turn your back on the paradigms set in place by the paranormal mafioso. Sitting around and stroking their egos is not as important as going out and MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Instead of buying a new TAPS shirt, save the money and buy an EMF meter. Instead of planning your evening around the "Ghost Hunters" marathon, grab a few of your friends and venture out into a real haunted house and see what happens. You want a real role model? Look up Charles Fort, read one of his books. He wasn't in it for his 15 minutes. I know that he wasn't, because it seems like most people in this field don't even know who he is. He was in it because it was fascinating to him and he wanted to share his findings with others. Your time spent decking out your myspage page with TAPS paraphenalia would be better spent creating a website showcasing your views and theories to the world, further pushing along the evolution of this community.

You're a fan looking out for your idols, I understand that. If someone ripped on my favorite favorite band (Jetz to Brazil, if you were interested), I'd be irritated too. What you need to understand about me is that this is where I grew up. The world of the unexplained is just as much a home to me as where I lay my head at night. How angry would you be if you saw someone pissing on your childhood comfort blanket? Pretty mad. You'd want to beat their asses in. To them, it's just an old blanket. To you, it's got sentimental value.

Do you realize that we're the next generation, people like you and I, the kids our age? These old guys are on their way out. They know that they are, and they don't like that one bit. I'm not just talking about TAPS now, I'm talking about every one of those bullshit "better than thou" groups that keep churning out their propaganda to the hungry masses who are willing to swallow it. For people our age, it's both an exciting and a frustating time to have this kind of a hobby. There's a revolution mounting. You might not see it right now, but they're building their defenses and gathering ammunition. Who do you think is going to be doing the ghost hunting when these guys are gone?

You know, you're right about one thing. We ARE obnoxious, and we aren't afraid to admit it. If being obnoxious can grab people's attention long enough to let them know that they have a choice, then so be it. The people that perk their ears up and hear what we're trying to shout to them are going to be the ones that will end up making a difference. Sure, these other people have been involved in the paranormal for 15 or 20 some odd years. But most of them are also in their late 30's and up. When me and the guys are in our late 30's, we'll have had double that kind of experience. We don't often show it, but we're more than a "bunch of dudes" who attempt to make amusing videos and write humorous stories about our adventures. Believe it or not, we know our stuff. I'll be the first one to admit that GHI has not been the best platform to showcase that fact, and neither I, nor the other fellas have made it a big deal to prove that point either. In due time, that's not really going to be an issue. The things that myself and some some other likeminded members of "Le Resistance" have planned are going to knock the socks off even the most seasoned supernatural veterans. We're not going to rely on a production company to help us with that either, we're going to do it our way, on our own dime, so that we know that we're getting the right message across. That I can promise you.

If I have to write one of these emails to every single person in our age bracket that sends GHI hatemail, then so be it. I can only hope that my words and explainations can change the way that you see things. The fact that you have the tenacity to show your fangs and attack people that you've never met over some comments that they made about some group that you like shows that you've got some spunk. I'm begging you, for the sake of the community and it's future, put that spunk to better use and go out and start a paranormal blog, gallery, group, anything. What we need are more people our age to put down the remote and pick up a videocamera. We don't need reality television supergroups to try and prove to us that the paranormal exists, we have the luxury of being able to do that on our own. Every town has it's own legends, it's dark corners to poke around in. Half the fun is researching them and weighing the truthfulness for *yourself*.

Regardless of what you decide to do with my advice, I wish you the best of luck. Like I stated earlier, people like you and I, we're the future of this society. We'll be the ones who decide the outcome. When the big day rolls around, are you going to be sitting in a tower with your head in your hands and your face on tv, or are you going to be one of the masked masses in the streets, ready to push that tower over?

Godspeed,
Greg

"In mere impressionism we take our stand. We have no positive tests nor standards. Realism in art: realism in science--they pass away. In 1859, the thing to do was to accept Darwinism; now many biologists are revolting and trying to conceive of something else. The thing to do was to accept it in its day, but Darwinism of course was never proved:

The fittest survive.
What is meant by the fittest?
Not the strongest; not the cleverest--
Weakness and stupidity everywhere survive.
There is no way of determining fitness except in that a thing does survive.
"Fitness," then, is only another name for "survival."
Darwinism:
That survivors survive."
-Charles Fort

"The Rise and Fall of Pine Bush"
By Scott C. Carr (2004)
Originally published in The Mutual UFO Network, The MUFON Journal.
© Scott C. Carr, 2004

America’s most uncelebrated UFO hotspot first came into the public perception in 1987, when it was mentioned in passing in Dr. J. Allen Hynek and Philip Imbrogno’s, Night Siege: The Hudson Valley UFO Sightings. Though Pine Bush played only a minor role in the fantastic Hudson Valley UFO flap of the mid-1980s, it was just outside of Westchester and Putnam counties, where the bulk of the sightings were taking place.

The Pine Bush sightings, however, would continue to grow both in number and frequency. Even as reports of the Hudson Valley’s much publicized “Westchester Wing” or “Westchester Boomerang” began to diminish after reaching a peak of nearly two thousand sightings between 1983 and 1987—just next door in the Wallkill River valley area of neighboring Orange County, Pine Bush was becoming more and more active with unexplained phenomenon of its own.

This tiny, rural farming community began to attract first the attention of curious and perplexed locals, and soon the attention of other outsiders and serious investigators.

In 1991, New Jersey resident Ellen Crystall published Silent Invasion, a book chronicling her eleven year investigation into the mysterious activities in and around Pine Bush. For the most part the book fell on deaf ears. Many UFO enthusiasts scoffed at Crystall’s outlandish claims of having seen up to a dozen strange craft in the sky at once, landing in and rising out of fields—often at close range, sometimes merely a stone’s throw away. Still others remained skeptical of the unconvincing photographs which accompanied the book. These photographs are unclear, Crystall explains, due to intentional “magnetic” or “microwave” disruption focused on the camera/film by the aliens, in an effort to "camouflage" their craft and to protect their anonymity."

But, even though it was overlooked by the media and mainstream UFO culture, Pine Bush did begin to slowly attract attention. PM Magazine did a segment, (and many years later Sightings and Strange Universe would visit), Ellen Crystall embarked on a short-lived talk show jaunt—Joan Rivers, Geraldo, People Are Talking. She brought Omni Magazine out into the fields to see the strange lights for themselves. She took thousands of photographs. But for the most part, Pine Bush continued to go unnoticed.

For the few who did notice, and were curious enough to journey to the small town to see for themselves, however, Pine Bush proved intriguing enough to bring them back. Again and again. A small, eclectic group of eccentric investigators and dedicated skywatchers began to form, returning regularly to the mysterious fields and back roads. And the phenomenon itself was becoming stranger all the time, and harder to define: Reports of lights in the sky abounded, back then. Phantom beings and strange animal sightings were not uncommon. Mechanical rumblings from deep underground were often heard. Farmers reported seeing strange lights over their fields at night, only to discover large sections of earth on their properties had been moved, as if by tractors, the next morning. Warm gusts of air were felt blowing from out of the woods, even on the coldest of nights. Strange white orbs of light (affectionately referred to as “Tesla Globes”) and intrusive red mist (invisible to the naked eye) began to appear regularly in photographs.


It was the early nineties. The “UFO abduction” craze was spreading like wildfire throughout the country, and Pine Bush was no exception. Abductees began to come forward, organizing meetings and support groups, and planning excursions into the fields to go skywatching, or “UFOing” as the locals termed their nocturnal pastime. And (though rumors abounded among the small, yet growing, group of skywatchers who gathered almost nightly on West Searsville Road) famous abductee and author Whitley Strieber was still half a decade from admitting that much of his own experience, eerily and starkly described in his best-selling Communion, did in fact take place in his cabin outside Pine Bush.

Even as the core group of Pine Bush locals continued to watch the skies, keeping to themselves and eschewing all newcomers and outsiders, the number of interested people making the sojourn out to the small farming community continued to grow, until, by 1995 you could find a line of cars parked along West Searesville Road on virtually any weather-permitting night. Dedicated UFO enthusiasts would gather together to discuss the paranormal, to fling wild theories, and watch odd lights dart about the skies.

It was this ever growing, evolving group of people who began to define the personality of Pine Bush. While some of them were genuinely deluded, seeing UFOs and conspiracies everywhere, some were quite level-headed, bringing new investigative talent and insight into the field. Some skeptical, some convinced. But all inexplicably drawn to this place for no reason other than to gaze up at the night sky, up to the stars, hoping against hope to catch a glimpse of the unknown.

In the Summer of 1992, Ellen Crystall was contacted by Dr. Bruce Cornet, a geologist who, after reading Silent Invasion, felt compelled to visit Pine Bush. By this time, the first signs of encroaching urban development in the area were becoming evident, as civilization began to close in on the rural hotspot. Ms. Crystall’s own investigation was winding down, and she began to frequent the area less and less. Dr. Cornet, on the other hand, could be found almost on a regular basis, and was initiating an investigation of his own. He conducted magnetic and geologic surveys of the area, and came to some rather startling conclusions. Cornet claimed to have discovered underground transmitters sending polarized magnetic photon beams up into space. His theories went on to become even more esoteric. He boasted frequent close encounters and interaction with extraterrestrial craft which he called TLPs (Transient Luminescent Phenomenon), as opposed to the more generic term UFOs. He claimed telepathic communication with the entities behind the phenomenon, and believed that they were gradually educating him, slowly revealing their presence and intentions, in a way that he could handle on an intellectual level.

As Dr. Cornet continued to immerse himself in the Pine Bush phenomenon, the continued urbanization of the area began to seriously threaten the sanctity of the skywatchers. New homes were popping up everywhere, and with them, “No Trespassing” and “Private Property” signs appeared in places that had traditionally been open to skywatching.

By the end of 1996, sightings had reached an all time low, and Dr. Cornet’s theories were becoming more unorthodox. Hotels, restaurants, banks, and convenience stores began to appear, almost overnight, and Dr. Cornet announced his belief that, according to his most recent geologic studies, the entire Wallkill River valley area was an exact scale replica of the Martian landscape Cydonia, home of the infamous and much alleged “Face” and “Pyramid.” He dubbed Pine Bush “Cydonia II”, while police began to quietly patrol the once quiet backroads, courteously asking skywatchers to keep it down, or to please find somewhere else to park. The Pine Bush saga was at an all time low.

Then, on May 17, 1997, Dr. Bruce Cornet, along with Marc Whitford and Dinah Bertran, recorded, on high eight video, the flight of a mysterious black triangle at close range. In a time when Pine Bush was going through an inordinate, paranormal dry spell, this was a much needed reaffirmation of the existence of a true enigma. Though not necessarily supportive of any of the particular theories or wild speculations that had cropped up during the phenomenon’s recession, this was a refreshing confirmation of the persistence and faith of the dedicated skywatchers.

This faith and dedication would soon be put to the test, however. Just as sightings and reports of strange lights and phenomenon began once again to pick up pace, with a renewed vigor not seen in nearly five years, so did the continued urban development. New homes along West Searesville threatened issues of freedom and privacy. It was not long before the new residents of these homes began to take notice of the men and women outside, staring up into the star filled sky, searching for flying saucers. Conflict was inevitable as, for the first time the general public confronted the UFO culture on common, neutral ground. For the first time, public perception of the UFO phenomenon is taking place on a personal level, free from the sensational glamorization of the media. This is a unique, unprecedented occurrence, and the sociological implications are fascinating. Only human culpability and open-minded understanding will determine the future of UFO watching in Pine bush.

Update: As of January of this year, skywatching has been banned in Orange County. Though the legalities of this are uncertain at the time of this writing, apparently anyone found guilty of trespassing or parking with the intention of “skywatching” will be subject to incarceration and/or fine.

Many of the researchers and skywatchers of the area have moved their efforts to the mysterious and enigmatic Wanaque, New Jersey, where they claim to experience many bizarre sightings and “interdimensional phenomenon.” They have dubbed the place “The New PineBush.”



Scott C. Carr is is a writer/producer with a passion for scifi, paranormal and fringe culture. His work for The Learning Channel and 99.5 FM WBAI, NY and other TV networks, production companies, book publishers and comic book series runs the gamut from junkyards to superheroes, ghostchasers to post-apocalypse misfits. He is currently promoting his novel Believer, about a garbage eating cult and the end of the world.

Check out more of Scott's stuff at: 

Brothers Carr Productions.