Swamp Gas Journal Special Issue #3 NAICCR (North American Institute for Crop Circle Research) Report on Investigations of Crop Circles in the Area of Strathclair, Manitoba 18 August 1992 Following media reports about several new crop circles in western Manitoba, NAICCR representatives travelled to the area for onsite investigations. Five crop formations were discovered, one of which was easily explained as lodging. Of the other four, three were in the shape of the symbol for Mars: a circle with an attached arrow. Two were alongside a major highway, while the others were next to less-travelled farm roads. The two near the major highway were apparently made on the night of 14-15 August 1992. Rumours of the circles spread through the community, and many people went to see the formations. By Monday, 17 August 1992, an estimated 200 people had visited the sites. News media mentioned the sites in newscasts on 17-18 August, but the formations did not attract the wide publicity that other, less impressive and explainable formations had garnered a month earlier. NAICCR investigators were able to visit the sites on 18 August 1992, after a four-hour excursion from Winnipeg. Wheat and soil samples were taken from all sites. Mapping was done, though, because of excessive trampling of the formations, measurement errors of about six inches were possible. Compasses were employed, but no magnetic anomalies were detected. Both VHF and AM/FM radios were tested, but no interference was detected. Tape recordings taken at the sites were unaffected. No unusual sounds were heard, and no unusual "feelings" were sensed. Insects were present in normal quantities at the sites. According to residents, animals were not afraid to enter the areas. At one formation, two youths guarded the entrance and brandished a sign reading: "A Loonie a Look"; they charged a dollar to anyone wanting to enter the site. [Note: "loonie" is a slang term for a Canadian dollar coin.] At Strathclair No.4, two NAICCR investigators decided to try an experiment in circle creation. They walked between the rows of wheat into an unaffected area and began walking around in a circle. After five minutes, they had produced a circle of comparable size to Strathclair No.4. The new circle was swirled and flattened, and examination of wheat stalks showed no breakage whatsoever. The stalks were only gently bent at a height of about one to two inches above the ground, and did not appear to have been subjected to any force. The appearance of the new circle was relatively "messy", but after a few minutes of "touch- ups", it began to look more like the "real" circle. Suggestions were offered as to ways in which more even flattening could be produced. Since Strathclair No.4 was created on the night of 14- 15 August 1992, only a few days after full Moon, it was proposed that a hoaxer could easily have created the formation without any flashlights and ducked down below the level of the five-foot-high wheat when an occasional car passed by. The hoax theory is complicated by a CE1 UFO sighting over the field where the Ipswich formation was discovered. One close witness and two other witnesses observed an unusual object moving over the field and then fly away on the night that that formation was likely created. On the night of 14 August, a television program about crop circles had been aired. Residents of the area had recalled seeing the episode. However, at least two of the formations had been discovered before the program was aired. It is not thought that the television program had necessarily precipitated the later formations. Wheat samples will be given to several researchers for testing. As some cerealogists have claimed that seeds from plants inside circles grow faster/better than those from a control sample, double-blind tests of this theory will be performed. Further investigations are continuing. Descriptions of the formations follow, along with a number of UFO reports from the same time period. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Strathclair, Manitoba UGM 920801.1 Found: 1 August 1992 A circle of flattened wheat was discovered in a field southwest of Strathclair. It was 28 feet in diameter. The wheat was flattened and swirled in a counterclockwise direction. The circle was approximately 40 feet from a municipal road. Known as Strathclair No.1. Reported to the media on 16 August 1992. NAICCR investigation was on 18 August 1992. The site had been badly trampled by visitors during the interim. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Strathclair, Manitoba UGM 920808.1 Found: 8 August 1992 A flattened area of wheat in the shape of the symbol for Mars was discovered in a field southwest of Strathclair. The main circle was 28 feet in diameter, with no detectable eccentricity. The wheat was flattened and swirled in a counterclockwise direction. The formation was approximately 40 feet from a municipal road, directly opposite a circle which had been discovered a week earlier. In the arrow, the wheat was flattened away from the circle, following the lines of the arrow. The arrow pointed away from the circle on a bearing of 260 degrees. The arrow was 18.5 feet in length, with left and right arms of 6 and 6.5 feet in length, respectively. The width of the arrow was approximately 36 inches. The arrow pointed almost directly away from the road. Known as Strathclair No.2. Reported to the media on 16 August 1992. NAICCR investigation was on 18 August 1992. The site had been badly trampled by visitors during the interim. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Ipswich, Manitoba UGM 920815.1 Found: 15 August 1992 A flattened area of wheat in the shape of the symbol for Mars was discovered in a field just east of Ipswich. The main area was 26 feet in diameter along its major axis and 24.5 feet along its minor axis. The wheat was flattened and swirled in a counterclockwise direction. In the arrow, the wheat was flattened away from the circle, following the lines of the arrow. The arrow pointed away from the main area on a bearing of 65 degrees. The arrow was 17.5 feet in length, with left and right arms 7.5 and 11 feet in length, respectively. The width of the arrow corridor was 28 inches. The arrow pointed toward a farm road, its tip being only 36 feet from the road. Known as Ipswich. Reported to the media on 16 August 1992. NAICCR investigation was on 18 August 1992. The site had been badly trampled by visitors during the interim. A UFO had been seen at the site on 14 August 1992. See: ND Case 920814.1 in UFOROM files. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Strathclair, Manitoba UGM 920815.1 Found: 15 August 1992 A flattened area was found in a wheat field near other crop circle UGMs. It was roughly 20 feet in diameter. Wheat was laid down in random clumps, and some sections had rebounded upright. The area was visible from a nearby road. Examination suggested the area was caused by lodging. Known as Strathclair No.3 Reported to the media on 16 August 1992. NAICCR investigation was on 18 August 1992. The site had been trampled by visitors during the interim. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Strathclair, Manitoba UGM 920815.1 Found: 15 August 1992 A flattened area of wheat in the shape of the symbol for Mars was discovered in a field southwest of Strathclair. The main circle was 24 feet in diameter, with no detectable eccentricity. The wheat was flattened and swirled in a counterclockwise direction. The formation was approximately 100 feet from a provincial highway. In the arrow, the wheat was flattened away from the circle, following the lines of the arrow. The arrow pointed away from the circle on a bearing of 120 degrees. The arrow was 16 feet in length, with left and right arms of 8.5 and 10 feet in length, respectively. The width of the arrow was approximately 66 inches. The arrow pointed away from the road. Known as Strathclair No.4 Reported to the media on 16 August 1992. NAICCR investigation was on 18 August 1992. The site had been badly trampled by visitors during the interim. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Brandon, Manitoba UGM 920817.1 Reported: 17 August 1992 A television station received an anonymous call that a crop circle had been found on the property of the Brandon airport. Investigations pending. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Miniota, Manitoba UGM 920799.1 July, 1992 It was reported that a crop circle was discovered in a field of oats. The circle is perfectly round and 32 feet in diameter. The oats are flattened and swirled in a clockwise direction. The center of the circle is devoid of vegetation. The circle was found "in mid-summer". It was reported to NAICCR on 21 August 1992. ------------------------------------------------------------------ UFO Reports: Ipswich, Manitoba ND Case 920814.1 14 August 1992 2115 local time A woman was driving east from Shoal Lake to Strathclair when she saw a pair of bright yellow lights over a field to her left. The lights appeared to be about 50 to 100 feet above the ground. She stopped her car to get a better look, and watched as the lights moved in tandem, one above the other, progressing over the field heading west. As it was not quite dark, she was sure that she could see a dark object behind the lights, with another very small flashing light at its "tail". The witness' daughter and son-in-law were following in their own car, and they also saw the object before it moved out of view behind some trees. The object was visible for about two minutes as it progressed slowly over the field. No noise was heard. Reported to the media on 15 August 1992. The next day, a crop circle UGM was discovered in the wheat field over which the UFO had travelled. See NAICCR case 920815.1 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shoal Lake, Manitoba NL Case 920814.1 14 August 1992 2300 local A witness reported seeing a brilliant green flash of light which illuminated the countryside. Source: Greg Nesbitt -------------------------------------------------------------------- Shoal Lake, Manitoba NL Case 920815.1 15 August 1992 2200 local A witness reported seeing a brilliant green flash of light which illuminated the countryside. It was visible for "a few seconds". Source: RCMP, Shoal Lake Detachment -------------------------------------------------------------------- Winnipeg, Manitoba NL Case 920826.1 26 August 1992 0535 local A witness reported a bright green object, "like an airplane going to crash". The object was rapidly moving from the west to the east, but looked like it was "going up". The object had a "long tail". It appeared to be over the Winnipeg airport. It was visible for only a few seconds. Source: Anonymous phone call from the witness to UFOROM. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A full report on the incidents, with detailed drawings of the crop formations, will be available in hard copy from NAICCR at a later date. The full report will be published in a major UFO journal and cerealogy journal. The Strathclair flap of UGMs and UFOs will be noted in the annual NAICCR and UFOROM reports when published in 1993. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For further information, contact: NAICCR (North American Institute for Crop Circle Research) Box 1918 Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3C 3R2 On INTERNET, e-mail can be addressed to: rutkows@ccu.umanitoba.ca =======================================================================