On Bigfoot's trail

In her day job as an archaeologist, Kathy Moskowitz Strain looks for traces of people who dwelt long ago in the Stanislaus National Forest.

At night and on weekends, she searches for something else: Bigfoot.

The legendary creature has fascinated Strain since she was a girl. The 40-year-old Jamestown resident has looked for Bigfoot evidence in Tuolumne County and beyond, and she has documented sightings by other people.

"Footprints, plus the traditional Native American stories about Bigfoot, have convinced me that something is out there," she said.

Strain has spoken at Bigfoot conferences around the country and appeared on "MonsterQuest" on the History Channel.

She has just written a book that combines her interests in Bigfoot and Native Americans. The book, "Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture," has more than 150 stories from the Arctic to Florida.

Strain, a Porterville native, has bachelor's and master's degrees from California State University, Bakersfield. She is married to Bob Strain, a retired Folsom firefighter, and has two sons, Zackary, 16, and Jacob, 11.

Q: How did you get interested in Bigfoot?

A: When I was a little girl, I saw "Legend of Boggy Creek" (a 1972 film) and became fascinated with the mystery. I later asked my teacher what I would have to do to study Bigfoot for a living, and she suggested anthropology, so that is what I did. However, I quickly learned that I couldn't study Bigfoot for a living, so I work for the Forest Service by day and search for Bigfoot on my free time.

Q. What kinds of sightings have you documented?

A: I have interviewed hundreds of witnesses about their experiences of seeing either a Bigfoot or his large footprints in the woods. The sightings have ranged from up-close experiences to those that took place several hundred yards away. My favorite sightings are those that describe Bigfoot looking for food.

Q: Have you seen Bigfoot yourself?

A: I have never seen a Bigfoot myself, but my husband has.

Q:. How do you look for Bigfoot?

A: During the day, we spend a good deal of time driving the dirt forest roads, looking for footprints or other items of interest. We do a lot of mapping, taking notes and taking videos and photos of the location. Often, we stop at the local stores and see if anything unusual has been reported. After nightfall, we build a large fire and cook a fragrant dinner. We usually begin call blasting (recorded Bigfoot-like sounds) starting at 8 or 9 and blast on the hour, every hour. Throughout the evening, we conduct our experiments and record the responses.

Q: How many Bigfoots might there be in Tuolumne County and North America?

A: Some researchers have estimated as much as 2,000 throughout North America, and I would guess that is pretty close. In Tuolumne County, I'm guessing, there may be as many as 10 to 15.

Q: Describe your job for the forest.

A: I am the heritage resource and tribal relations program manager. The heritage part of the job deals with the forestwide management of prehistoric, ethnographic and historic sites. Under tribal relations, my job is to make sure that the forest is upholding our trust responsibilities with our local tribes and native people.

Q: Does your Bigfoot work ever intersect with your forest job?

A: I don't "Bigfoot" on government time, but being an archaeologist/anthropologist has helped me apply scientific methods and tools to my Bigfoot studies. It also allows me to interact with Native Americans and record their traditional cultural beliefs of this animal.

Q: Do people take your research seriously?

A: I think so. Most of the time, people will ask me lots of questions and are interested in where the best place to go to see one is.

Q: Why are people fascinated by Bigfoot?

A: I think in today's society, with so much technology and pressures on our time, it's nice to think that there is still something left out there for us to discover -- something still wild and free.

Bee staff writer John Holland can be reached at jholland@modbee.com or 578-2385.

This story was originally published December 28, 2008 at 5:56 AM with the headline "On Bigfoot's trail."