SIGHTINGS



Canadian Crop Circle
Summary Report 1999
http://www.geocities.com/cpr-canada
By Paul Anderson -Director
Circles Phenomenon Research Canada
12-29-99

 
Overview
 
Unexplained "crop circles", circular and other geometric patterns of flattened field crops, continued to be reported across Canada in 1999, as well as a number of other countries, including England, the Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, the USA, Israel and elsewhere. This past year's "circle season" in Canada, from July to October, saw developments in the phenomenon on a number of fronts, including the number of reported formations (20, up from 14 in 1998 and 2 in 1997), size and complexity (ranging from the common small simple circles to formations two to three hundred feet in size, some more elaborate than in past years) and many associated anomalies, notably stalk nodes from some formations with very significant stretching, swelling and expulsion cavities as compared to normal control samples, as well as numerous electrical equipment malfunctions and failures in and around some formations.
 
Formations were reported in six provinces - British Columbia (1), Alberta (4), Saskatchewan (10), Ontario (3), Quebec (1) and Prince Edward Island (1). Many excellent firsthand reports came in this year, from farmers in whose fields the circles were found, thanks to the efforts of a growing network of CPR-Canada coordinators, field investigators, researchers and other assistants, as well as a reporting hotline and growing publicity in various media, etc. As in past years, most formations were reported near the end of the harvesting season, in late August and September, simply because that is when most of them are initially discovered by farmers as they are combining their fields, literally stumbling across them as it were. Relating to this is the fact that circles in Canada have appeared virtually across the entire country, which geographically is of course much larger an area than England (where it is easier to discover and document new formations almost as soon as they appear, often by pilots, as most formations there tend to be found within a fifty or so mile radius of the Stonehenge / Avebury area). Therefore, a significant number of formations in this country probably never get reported at all, and in fact we know of several cases in the past where formations were found but not initially reported to anyone, then only found about weeks, months or even a year or two later. As mentioned above, thanks to a growing network, hotline, etc., that situation is now beginning to improve.
 
As has been the case virtually since the phenomenon started being documented in this country in the 1970's, most circles were reported in the province of Saskatchewan (ten out of twenty reports this year), and in many cases (in several provinces) in the very same areas, or in close proximity to, where they were found last year and previous years. In one case in Alberta, the second formation found this year just outside of Edmonton, was in the same end of the same field as a set of simpler circles last year. It is the consensus now of CPR-Canada and others, that these localized "hot spots" should be the primary focus for future surveillance, field studies and other experiments. It is a situation analogous to southern England, where by far the most formations (in the world as well as England itself) are found each summer in the Wiltshire and Hampshire areas.
 
 
Highlights of the Season
 
The first Canadian reports for this year were a couple of elaborate pictogram style formations, one just over three hundred feet long (the longest on record so far in Canada), discovered in a couple of adjacent wheat fields on the New Credit Reserve near Hagersville, Ontario on July 22. These were similar to some of the early nineties patterns from England, and displayed a fairly complex layering of the plants. The formations drew much attention from the local media and public, as well as the Native Indian community where they appeared, who actually held cermonies out in the fields to celebrate their appearance. CPR-Canada and other field investigators reported malfunctioning camera and video camera equipment inside and over the formations. Odd small "balls of light" were also reported in the area by some witnesses around the general time of their appearance, similar to reports common in England and Europe. Another odd long "script" kind of design was later reported near Montebello, Quebec, initially found in mid-July in a cut field, although subsequent correspondence indicated this may have been done by one of the local farmers for normal advertising purposes, and not an actual formation.
 
Other reports came in over the next few weeks, from near Dease Lake, BC (single circle in grass in a very remote location), Ardmore, Alberta (group of small circles in hay, found to be fungi-related) and a "celtic cross" formation just outside Edmonton, Alberta on a research farm run by the University of Alberta (deemed upon ground inspection to be a probable, though unproven, hoax). A couple small circles were also found in a blueberry field near Christopher Cross, Prince Edward Island, the first known case of that kind.
 
Activity was quiet in Saskatchewan, the usual centre of Canadian reports, until early September, when a number of formations started being reported by farmers one after another,over the next few weeks. Some of the largest and most impressive formations ever seen in Canada showed up in these prairie fields this past summer and fall, notably Neilburg, where a large one hundred eighty five foot pattern of eleven circles in wheat was found. This was the first of several formations this year to exhibit the stretched, swollen and burst stalk nodes. CPR-Canada works closely with the BLT Research Team (http://www.bltresearch.net), which has been scientifically documenting these and other anomalies from crop formations world-wide for the past several years; much more information on this work is available from BLT and CPR-Canada. It was also a departure from previous Canadian formations, being more "European" in design, a sort of simplified version of the famous fractal and Julia Set patterns in England. A formation of two circles, each with an identical cross appendage attached, was found near Conquest, Saskatchewan around the same time, close to where a similar set appeared last year.
 
The main centre of activity in Saskatchewan was around the town of Midale, (again from where several reports came in last year), with a total of six reports in this area alone (from early September to early October), all in wheat, ranging from sets of single circles to an intricate "medicine wheel" pattern containing complex lay patterns. Other circles were reported nearby at Weyburn (another group of small random circles in hay).
 
Also in September, additional reports came in from Alberta, at Acadia Valley, a very nice one hundred twenty nine foot triple dumbell pattern, again with the anomalous node effects on plant stalks, and the second formation just outside Edmonton, a large one hundred ninety one foot complex seven-circle pattern in barley with radial lay patterns in all circles; another one of the best of the year, and of any year so far. Many stretched and ruptured nodes were found in this formation in particular, and it was also interesting to note that the field itself was thickly infested with thistle plants, which made sampling (and just walking) difficult. There was also a report of circles near Drumheller, but these were unable to be confirmed.
 
Formations continued to be reported into late September and October, with another set of two beautifully made circles near Viscount, Saskatchewan, the sixth Midale, Saskatchewan formation (set of three circles in a line) and "teardrop and diamond" shapes in field of eight foot tall corn near Lowville, Ontario, in which a number of electrical equipment malfunctions were reported by another local team.
 
Excellent video footage and photos, both ground and aerial, as well as ground surveys were obtained for many of the Canadian formations this year, Alberta and Saskatchewan in particular. Several formations were also extensively sampled for lab analysis by the BLT Research Team, including Neilburg, Edmonton #2, Acadia Valley and some of the Midale area formations.
 
In most cases, no direct evidence of hoaxing was found, with no footprints, no initial tracks leading in or out of circles, lack of damage to the flattened or surrounding crop, etc. This, taken, with the aforementioned scientific evidence, would continue to suggest that there is a genuine phenomeon occurring, in Canada as well as around the world. Hoaxes (with the percentage of reported formations being man-made a source of heated debate among many researchers) are usually more obvious and self-evident upon close examination.
 
As last year, media coverage was more extensive than in most previous years, including CBC (both radio and television), The Western Producer, Canada's leading farming and agricultural publication and a number of other media.
 
 
Summary
 
In short, 1999 was a banner year for crop circles in Canada, and may indicate that we need to be keeping a closer eye on what is going on in the fields of our farmlands. CPR-Canada will be doing just that, with new projects and initiatives being planned for next summer in 2000, given the increased number of reports the last couple of years. A print version of this summary, with additional photos, diagrams and newsclippings, etc. will be published shortly. Proceeds help cover research expenses and projects.
 
An archive of full reports and images is available on the CPR-Canada web site (http://www.geocities.com/cpr-canada).
 
 
For further information:
 
Circles Phenomenon Research Canada Main Office Suite 202 - 2086 West 2nd Avenue Vancouver, BC V6J 1J4 Canada Tel / Fax: 604.731.8522 E-Mail: mailto:psa@direct.ca Web: http://www.geocities.com/cpr-canada
 
 
This article may be reprinted, as long as copyright credit is provided.
 
 
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Links to additional and previous news stories, reports and updates:
 
http://www.geocities.com/cpr-canada/news.html
 
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© Circles Phenomenon Research Canada, 1999


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