Some of you may be aware of a current debate which has spanned across two Facebook crop circle pages. This debate is between Mr. Charles Mallett and The Crop Circle Challenge 2013 crew and anyone else who has cared to join in. This debate is about the same old things which has been going round in circles for the last 30 years. This debate is about the natural occurrence of how a plant behaves when placed under stress by being flattened !.
In this age of easy access to information, with no need to walk to your nearest library , ( hence most libraries are now closing down ) one would assume that grown adults would have the ability to do some simple and honest research ( should they want to !) about our plant kingdom which is known ' As Botany ' .
Well - one would assume so anyway !
However, in the crop circle world there is ONE BIG PROBLEM.
People who consider themselves to be intelligent , who are know as expert crop circle researchers must think that you and I have just landed on this Earth from planet ' Illiterate ! '. As they keep on preaching to you and me that Aliens have swept their force across a farmers field, in the process creating bent stems , blown nodes , straight and bent heads.
Hmm ' BENT HEADS ' , now that's 2 words which should remember and give you all a clue !!! .
For the last 30 years or so, plant anomalies have been their only way capture your minds by telling you that crop circles were created by aliens or by other paranormal means. So,they say that a crop circle is ' authentic creation ' if various plant anomalies are found within. But they wont tell you that such anomalies are also found in crop circles which you yourselves have declared as man made. This is know as ' Selective Reporting where information is withheld - its simply filtered out so you will not be influenced by other possibilities.
In all cases of deception their is always one motive and thats of course to 'deceive you '.
We dont need to tell you that plants behave in various way when placed under stress as you have the ability to check for yourself that ALL anomalies within every crop circle to date, was a natural process of plant behavior and stress recovery. At the end of the day , a plant is a living thing with its own defense and healing system. This is no rocket science, its fact.
So , Mr. Mallet and his new plush ' Silent Circle ' and its costly set up , which has moved away from using such a name as the obvious was very apparent . Silent Circle was the appropriate name used at the time, as indeed it portrayed ' Shhh Dont Say A Word ! ' is continuing to baffle brains for one reason and one reason only. One would expect however as their clinical Ikea style set up where you have to wipe your feet to enter is based in A GARDEN CENTER . Yes a garden center where they sell plants !!!
So Mr. Mallett should be now more knowledgeable than ever as he couldn't be in a more appropriate place. The staff within should be able to provide him with all the plant behavior knowledge he needs ! Correct or not ??!!
But , NO NO NO lets not go their, as their new set up which cost a small fortune, will of course seek to get their money back, pay a wage and make a profitable return by selling merchandise which is supposed to help in finding the truth .
( We found the truth by sleeping in cars and fields !!! )
OK - as Mr. Mallet has now raised his stakes to 90% of crop circles to be man made - I wonder :
Will he tell you:
When buying a book, DVD, T- shirt and any other merchandise that you are in fact buying 90 % of man made art or will he say nothing and just take your cash ?
Will he tell? . Which crop circles are man made and which are authentic ?. If he or his staff ( Monique Kinkenbergh the main Investor ) tells you that you are buying a postcard of an authentic crop circle then surely should you not ask how he came to that conclusion ? If he tells you that its due to bent stems and blown nodes then put it back on the shelf and put your money back into your wallets !!!
Will he tell you ? . That he hasn't got a clue and his establishment is just a gift shop who peddle the idea that crop circles are form higher realms than himself !
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As Mr. Malletts and Monique Klinkenberghs Information Center is now called ' Crop Circle Coordination and Information Center ' will they then provide you with one sided opinion or both sides of the opinion ?. They are the crop circle information center after all , are they not ?. So surely they should provide you with information and listen to both sides of the opinion. Should they not ? . Do you think we should put that to the test and go along and see how they respond to us being there ???? . Will they call the Police and have us removed from the premises like they have done before ? Or will they welcome us and our information , what do you think ?
On final note , I challenged Mr. Mallett to some simple questions which so far he has evaded an answer.
Lets just step back to June 2012 and the KNOLL DOWN crop formation .
Mr. Mallett peddled the idea that Knoll Down was a day light creation as Monique failed to notice from the air that this very small crop formation was neatly tucked away at the edge of a field . Just to refresh your memories , the Knoll Down Formation was declared as a daylight creation with all the bent nodes and other trimmings within. It has been reported as one of the best crop circles which had the best bent stems like never seen before. Why do you think that there was so many bent stems ?????
Ok let me explain :
The Knoll Down crop Circle was created on the night of the 20th of June 2012 . It lay there undiscovered for over 6 days . No foot traffic entered this crop circle in the mean time. Meaning that no visitors trampled over the flattened stems. So the plants within begun a process of phototropism - meaning that all flattened plants were trying to rise back up towards the light !
As this crop circle lay there for 6 days completely undisturbed it displayed the best bent stems so far.
You may remember that we reported that strange occurrences happened to the team involved in making this crop circle which was not completed but yet this information was ignored and filtered out of Mr. Malletts report. Rather Convenient, as of course Mr. Mallett wants you to continue to believe that bent nodes and other plant anomalies, in his world, indicate that this is the only way to tell if a crop circle is authentic paranormal creation or not !
Well Mr. Mallett let me inform you of a revelation ... WE WERE THERE TO WITNESS EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED ON THE NIGHT !
Do you still want to dispute it go ahead and let us all know what a daft plonker you really are ??? !!!!
So Mr. Mallett here is the question again :
Do you still think Knoll Down was a paranormal creation ?
Well - We didnt expect a written answer from Mr. Mallet but we have found a verbal confirmation instead.
Mr. Mallet also makes a wrong assessment on the type of plant in the field at the time. Mr.Mallet states that it was in wheat when in fact it was in barley and he also states that it was in young plant when in fact it was in the beginning stages of maturing .
If that's not enough to convince you lets just step back to 2012 once again.
Do you remember the Yatesbury Arts Project which cost the National Heritage £23,000 quid ?. Mr Robert Irving the organizer created a crop circle which was part of school maths project initiative . The people directly responsible admitted that the crop circle was indeed a man made creation . Mr Charles Mallett conceded to the fact that this indeed was ' A home grown event as he calls it ' which that stands for ' Man Made ' between you and me! . But a few days later another so called expert know as Paul Jacobs ( Wiltshires Crop circle Guardian and authority ) arrives at the Yatesbury crop circle and declares it to the world that its an ' Authentic Paranormal Creation ' because he found bent nodes !!
Oh dear dear me , how much proof do you really need that these people are ignoring the true phenomenon just to protect their incomes !!!
On a separate note :
Please do not give up as there is a phenomenon out there.
In a few simple words, this is what is really going on .
Through out the many years of crop circle creation , human art has attracted many unexplained events and paranormal entities . In some cases it has been said that human circle makers have been influenced to create specific art in the fields of Wiltshire . Human circle makers have indeed stated that they have had experiences of the paranormal nature which we also concur with .
This is factual information which all current researches are failing to recognize, information which is fundamental and crucial to the next stage of crop circle knowledge and evolution. !!!!
If you continue to be fooled that crop circles are made by paranormal entities in a circle of non achievable end then the chances are that the real phenomenon will simply disappear . This is indeed proving to be the case as less and less reports of sightings and experiences are being reported.
We ourselves WILL CONTINUE to research all aspects of what is mentioned above.
Ufohunter.org interviews Matthew Williams .
I can fully assure you what Matthew says , is the ABSOLUTE TRUTH .
Well done for an excellent interview Matthew
Its not rocket science folks - its called selective reporting to make you believe that something miraculous has occurred.
Slides can also be seen HERE
Things are slowly changing in the crop circle world. ( You may have noticed already )
Artists who have had no credit for their art work or recognition are now slowly but surely revealing who they are and always have been. A time is approaching where human circle makers will be saying we have had enough being branded as hoaxes, criminals and drunken stupid idiots. We are artists , we are credible artist who have provided you with many years of speculation, doubt, magic and mystery . Its time for to you evolve and accept that us humans have abilities to create the most beautiful things, the most useful things, the most complicated things and the ability to create illusion like a magician on stage. Crops are simply just a different canvas that we use !
Julian Richardson ( Using his own name ) Is One of the first few circle makers ( apart from Matthew Williams) to come out and say ' I made crop circles ! ' ( Lets not forget Doug Bower and Dave Chorely either ).
Photo above shows the young Julian Richardson who for a long time used an alias as Bill Bailey . In all the years of crop circle making Julian perfected the art and is considered as one of the best circle makers around. You will of course want to see the crop circles Julian has made but we have full respect for Julian and what he has achieved, so on this occasion you will have to wait until Julian feels its the right time to show you what he is capable of. One clue is : That Julian generally doesn't make them small !!!! as demonstrated in his sand art creations below.
You can see Julians art work from start to finish on his Facebook Page Sand art is very much the same process of creation as you would do with crop circles. In sand art you simply use a rake to create the shading - in crop circles you simply use a plank to flatten the crop to create the shading. Its all very beautiful once you know how its done. This may also surprise you - but I have full respect for anyone who brings , light and truth to the subject and here is a rather revealing comment made by Stuart Dike from Crop Circle Connector who has been assisting Julian in the making of the sand formations . Julian Gibsone from Crop Circle Connector has also assisted in taking images of Julians work. Respect !
Look in the above screen capture :
Stella Maris Melo asks : Very nice ( but this doesnt mean that there are not true Crop Circles ( made them from ET ) ?
Stuart Dike Replies: Very true Stella, however it does indicate that you should never underestimate us humans !!!
Digest what Stuart has said ! . He has been documenting crop circles for HOW MANY YEARS !!?? ( so he should know ! )
' This is not a dig Stuart just respect for making a truthful comment !!! '
Stuart Dike from crop circle connector wearing a blue short sleeved shirt, as seen in the group photo above.
Here is something else, revealing a mystery.
Look at the symbol which is circled in the image below . At first it looks like a mystery symbol but look closely - It says FOJ.
This basically means ' Friends Of Julian ' - these are other crop circle artists who have a great respect for Julian and even consider him as ' The Master Circle Maker !!
All the answers are there folks - you just have to look in the right places and know the right people !
Please note: The Image below depicts a scene which is described by the pilot. The crop circle shown is not necessarily the one in question .
In the last few weeks or so, we were given the opportunity to speak to a helicopter pilot who frequently flew over Wiltshire on a regular basis , Avebury in particular.
The helicopter pilot has requested that no dates, times or the observable crop circle(s) in question to be made public.
We cannot verify this story to be factual but we are fully confident that the events which the pilot described are very credible.
We have also asked the pilot in question if he would appear on camera but due to the nature of what he does, he clearly stated it would place him under ' scrutiny by the MOD/MP ' , so he politely declined .
Many Circle Makers, I'm sure will probably relate to such events.
This is an edited transcript of the conversation which the pilot has approved.
PILOT : Over many years we have flown many night time training missions over the county of Wiltshire. We frequently fly silent with no visible illumination, this is part of our general training where you have to rely on instrument panels only. As you yourself have stated that you have indeed seen Apache helicopters flying under such conditions.
We always enjoy flying during the summer months as this time of year we frequently get to see some interesting and unexplainable events.
US: Unexplainable events !, could you elaborate ?
PILOT CONTINUES : Late into one summer we were flying South West of Avebury , the night was particularly dark due to thick cloud cover. We were at the time flying silent so attention to the instrument panel was critical and essential . As we turned East we noticed, what we could only describe as a bright stationary glow . This glow was only visible on the Instrument panel screen but not visible to the naked eye. We instantly turned towards this glow and pointed the on board 127x zoom infra red camera towards it . We hovered for a moment to try and make a critical analysis of what it was we were looking at . Zooming in proved fruitless as the glow simply flared on the screen so it was impossible to make out or even begin to describe whether we were looking at an object or just a bright unidentifiable light source.
US : Did you intercept or make attempts to get near the bright glow ?
PILOT : There are guidelines which I'm not prepared to discuss so we did neither, observation was sufficient at the time especially when on thermal imaging we spotted 5 people entering a field almost directly below the glow !
US: When you say people, are you referring to circle makers by any chance ?
PILOT: Yes of course , we have observed circle making activity for many years. Lets just say Circle makers have been very useful for us in night training as they become the non volunteered pretend targets !
US: Is there any camera footage which would show such activity ?
PILOT LAUGHING : Yes ! , but you will never get to see any of it !. Some Circle makers are so brash that they don't even flinch when we fly by . In some cases they have even waved to us !
US: Did you by any chance see a group of people running away from a crop circle when they were surprised by an Apache appearing from behind some trees ?
PILOT : No we didn't but we have heard stories from other pilots and seen some footage where some circle makers have legged it when we got to close for their comfort .
US: Tell me more what happened on the night you spotted the glow and the 5 people entering a field directly below the glow in the sky ?
PILOT: Seeing circle making is nothing new to us, we always joke about it when back at base and say ' There is a new out there lads ' . I do find it fascinating to see what kind of design will appear though . In most cases we see the start of a crop circle being made but very rarely do we witness the completion.
On the night in question the event was very interesting as this glow was almost directly above the field where the circle makers begun scribing out the shape of the design.
US: Do you feel this glow was observing what the circle makers were making ?
PILOT: Similar unexplained activities such as this, during night and day have been recorded over several years but Im unable to discuss such matters with you at present so whether you want to speculate whether this glow was observing or it was there by chance then thats up to you.
US: We appreciate the constraints you are under and are very grateful for sharing what you have. For how long did you observe this activty for ?
PILOT: After the initial spotting of the glow we circled once and hovered for the remaining time which in total was approximately 20 minutes. The glow was visible to our cameras for the duration while we were there .
US: Would you say this was a UFO and do you think the circle makers were aware of this glow in the sky?
PILOT: Im not prepared to speculate to what it was but it was there ! . I doubt circle makers were aware of it as we could not see by it by the naked eye, it was only visible through our screen in the cockpit .
US : Was this event reported to your seniors ?
PILOT: No comment !
US: OK ! If I may ask , do these what you call as unexplained events ever appear on your radars, if so do you investigate ?
PILOT: Again, please respect that I can only tell you what I feel I can , yes there are occasions where something appears on radar. If it doesn't respond to a radio call to identify itself then yes we will investigate. I'm assuming you would expect us to ?
US: Yes of course. As you may also be aware the general public have captured on several occasions Gazelle type helicopters chasing BOLs ( Balls of Light ) in broad daylight , would you be kind enough to explain what it was they were chasing ?
PILOT : ( SLIGHT PAUSE ! ) Lets just say its activity of the non respondents to a radio call !. We do also put on a great show don't you think ??????
REST OF THE CONVERSATION IS OFF THE RECORD !
The above was what the pilot thought was acceptable to show which we are very grateful for and hope we can bring you more stories such is this in time to come. This is of course for you to make of it what you will but as we stated, we have no reason whatsoever to disbelief as we were indeed involved in a scenario with an Apache helicopter ourselves and of course have witnessed many unexplained sightings , which of course we will continue to investigate.
The latest foot stomped creation from the UK .
And this is how crop circle connector feels about it .
The 2nd UK crop circle of 2013 . Cherhill Wiltshire Reported 7th June 2013. Small and sweet but declared as a Man Made crop circle by the resident expert Mr. Charles Mallett who of course is 100% correct on this occasion. Please follow link to see Charles's report ' Click Here ' . But yet some still insist that it came from the heavens. Desperate Times !!!
This truly makes me angry and sad that there are people out there who simply sit silent , say nothing and allow these people to live in false hope. It is false hope !.
At times like this, it does matter where the crop circles comes from - it matters to these people but yet they do not know that they are being led on a path to no where !
The new crop circle reported in Italy would have looked good if it was completed . Our own speculation is that the circle makers made a mistake by making the main circle to close the edge of the field, hence abandoning it as parts of the design would have been cut off .
And this is what it should have looked like !
The above is an artistic expression to what could have been ..
Images Courtesy of :
Images Giandomenico Marchi Copyright 2013 Graphic below shows desperate times by Red Collie. Sometimes its best to concede Red Collie and admit for once that you are wrong !. You clearly need a physical demonstration so you can see how its done !! But of course ALL researchers always refuse to see a demonstration !!! . Why ?
I congratulate with full respect for a brave admission by a Facebook page simply know as ' Crop Circles ' .With over 35,000 followers and founded back in 2008 ' Crop Circles ' made the surprising announcement to their followers, as seen below.
They are of course 100% correct !
Many Thanks to Jack and Jill who climbed the hill to bring to your eyes the documentation which proves that Charles Mallett and Monique Klinkenbergh are the new Crop Circle King and Queen of Wiltshire. The Irony is that Mr. Mallet clearly stated that he knows that crop circles are man made , in fact all the people on this list know that all crop circles are man made but yet they have implemented a business venture to capitalize out of you and me from the work of human land artists !!!!!
Without Prejudice
EXCLUSIVE !!!
Taken from The Official Papers as seen below:
Dear All,
Hope you are doing well. I am looking forward to the new crop circle season to start, a crop circle season that hopefully will benefit all of us. I am writing to inform you about some recent developments and to invite you attend a meeting with local authorities and farmers to discuss ways of bringing together the sometimes different interests of farmers, crop circle researchers, tour- and conference organizers and the many visitors attracted to the area by crop circles. The background is that there is a huge interest in crop circles, from a number of different perspectives. They attract a huge number of overseas visitors to Wiltshire. However, this interest can only be sustained and developed if farmers are not adversely affected by visitors. Until now the farming community is badly affected by what is happening in their fields. As a result of this and to avoid further problems, farmers are encouraged to cut formations straight away out of their fields. A development which hopefully can be turned around. Last year Derek Viner and I have been working on new ways and possibilities to reduce the friction between the farming community and those who like to visit formations. In august we consulted Mrs Claire Perry - member of parliament for Wiltshire Constituency - and asked her for help/leadership in this matter, which resulted in a meeting earlier this month with local authorities and farmers to discuss the potential for a new sustainable approach to crop circles, with an aim of finding a way of compensating farmers in return for them allowing access to their land. This meeting took place in the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes on March 8th, was chaired by Claire Perry and attended by many farmers and others associated with them, a representative of the National Farmers Union, the director of the Devizes Museum, the CEO of Visit Wiltshire and a Director from Wiltshire Council and myself. This meeting made an encouraging start and the farmers themselves expressed a desire to meet soon with crop circle researchers, tour- and conference organizers. We do hope you feel the same. I am looking forward to hear from you if you are able to attend the meeting which will take place on Friday 12th April at 11am in the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes. Very best wishes, Monique Klinkenbergh www.cropcirclegroup.com moniqueklinkenbergh@hotmail.com Derek Viner derekviner@me.com
Notes: The meeting will be by invitation only. Invited: Steve and Karen Alexander, Francine Blake, Eva-Marie Brekkesto, Glen and Cameron Broughton, Paul Jacobs, Bert Janssen and Heather Clewett, Mark Fussel, Michael Glickman, Frank Laumen, Charles Malllett, Andreas Muller, Janet Ossebaard, Lucy Pringle, Guenther Schermann, Busty Taylor, Maria Wheatly
Crop Circle Access Pass & Crop Circle access control Why:
Enabling affected farmers to gain a real benefit (not some coins in a donation box) and minimizing the disruption and damage done to farming. Allowing for the reasonable needs of tourists and the associated economics benefits of the Wiltshire community. Allowing serious researchers/scientists into formations. Crop Circle Coordination and Information Centre Wiltshire Why: A central coordination & information mechanism is essential to structure the situation. A new Crop Circle Coordination and Information Centre will evolve out of the existing Crop Circle Information Centre The Silent Circle and will be directed by Monique Klinkenbergh, Charles Mallet and Derek Viner. The Centre will be operational on the ground (and through the internet) from early June 2013. Location: to be announced in the coming weeks (we are looking at several options) Some preliminary ideas.
Crop Circle Access Pass (CAP) Crop Circle Coordination Information Centre (CCIC) Protocol Acces Control
1. When a new formation is found, the CCIC will first inform the farmer and ask if theyll allow visitors. 2. If so, the farmer need to decide on an acceptable access point and route and advise the CCIC of this. 3. If not, the CCIC makes it clear (through the Centre and its website) that access is not allowed and does not publish any detailed information as to its location. 4. CCIC marks approved access points on display maps, on the website and an App. 5. CCIC sends a volunteer off to set up a sign at this access point. Sign needs to be designed and probably approved if it is likely to be mounted near a public road. Need to check the requirements. 6. Farmer and/or CCIC arrange for volunteers to man the access point daily between agreed times (eg. 8am to 8pm 7 days a week). Access only on presentation of a CAP. Volunteers 1. Volunteers to be organized by the CCIC.
2. Sources of volunteers - regular visitors, locals, farmers families, retired people, local service clubs and church groups. Retired people could well be the back bone of it, given the numbers needed - see item 6. 3. Volunteers would need to be authorized and to carry with them a document proving this and probably some distinctive item of clothing, eg. a high visibility vest (which may be needed anyway if they are deemed to be working near a public road). Alternatively, volunteers may be encouraged by being given a shirt with the CCIC logo (and year of issue on it). 4. Volunteers would need to be given some training in how to behave, especially if people try to get past them without a CAP. 5. Volunteers could issue a temporary pass on payment of, say 3 Pounds per person and this pass could be then used by the visitor to obtain a discount when they purchase a properpass. This temporary pass would only be valid for the crop circle at which it was issued and for a defined period, say three days. Each volunteer would need to account for the money taken and the temporary passes given out so a system is needed for this. 6. If there are 40 crop circles at the height of the season, and there are 12 hours control per day at 4 hours per volunteer then we would need 120 volunteers per day. Lots of logistical problems. A volunteer organizer will be needed.
Legal and liability
Legal advice will be needed about the obligations the CCIC will have regarding volunteers and the need for insurance. Perhaps it is possible to cover this under Wiltshire Council existing volunteer insurances? In this case, the CCIC would need to be set up with some form of recognition by the Council.
CROP CIRCLE ACCESS PASS (CAP) 1
. All money deriving from CAP will go to the farmers. 2. A CAP need to be for a limited time, eg. two weeks? A CAP any longer, eg. 3 months, will make it highly likely that passes could be transferred by a person leaving the area to a person newly arriving, unless a picture is shown on the pass. This period needs to be carefully chosen, as does the price. The price may need to depend on the number of formations available at the time of purchase, perhaps based on a notional fee of 3 Pounds per formation. 2. A season ticket pass should be available. Price could be based on an assumed 40 formations and 1.5 Pounds per formation or similar. 3.The validity period needs to be clearly marked on the pass so that it is easily read by an access control volunteer. 4. The pass needs to say that it is issued to the purchaser only and is not transferable. Ideally, passes should contain a picture of the pass holder to prevent this. It may not be too hard to provide all ticket issuing places with the means of doing this. The pass should say that it must be presented on request of the volunteers at access points. 5. A temporary access pass is required for issue by volunteers to people who arrive without a CAP, see item 5 under Volunteers.
6. Places from which it can be obtained: all centers likely to have Crop Circle Visitors. Advertising People need to know that this season is different. A flyer should be made and delivered to all centres likely to have crop circle visitors - B&Bs, Hotels, Pubs, Cafes. Also to all known tour leaders etc. (worldwide). At all places where CAPs can be purchased, there should be a poster explaining the system and why it has been introduced. Process.
Derek Viner and Monique Klinkenbergh
Crop Circles and farmers; is there a better way? Summary of Meeting – 12 April 2013 Purpose of the meeting:
The aim of the meeting is to discuss the potential for a new sustainable approach to crop circles - finding a way to encourage farmers to allow access to their land. For this to take place, then those who visit sites must act responsibly and there would need to be a revenue stream to compensate the farming community. This initiative has been developed by Derek Viner (a local resident), Monique Klinkenbergh (Crop Circle Information Centre), and has been supported by David Dawson (Director of the Wiltshire Museum in Devizes) and David Andrews (CEO of VisitWiltshire). An initial meeting with the farming community was held on 8 March 2013, and was chaired by Claire Perry, MP. Location: Wiltshire Museum, Devizes Attendees Chair David Dawson, Director of the Wiltshire Museum, Devizes Farming Community: Mrs Ann Brown, Manor Farm, Aldbourne Mrs Jilly Carter; Manton Grange, Manton, near Marlborough Mr Tim Carson, Manor Farm, Alton Barnes Mr Robert Cooper; East Farm, Winterbourne Monkton Gill Hussey; Weir Farm, Broad Hinton Mr James Read; Church Farm, Stanton St. Bernard Mr James Sheppard, Poulton Farm Estate, near Marlborough Mrs Andrea Witcombe; NFU (National Farmers Union) county advisor for Wiltshire Crop Circle Community: Researchers/Conference /Tour organizers: Steve and Karen Alexander Glenn Broughton Denni Clarke Michael Glickman Paul Jacobs Lucy Pringle Busty Taylor Maria Wheatly PC Mark Randle, Rural Crime Team, Wiltshire Police Mrs Monique Klinkenbergh, Crop Circle Information Centre.
Meeting Summary David Dawson (Chair): Opening and Welcome to all the invitees. Mrs Claire Perry, Member of Parliament for the Devizes Constituency sent a personal message to open the meeting:
“Thank you so much for attending this meeting today, I am sorry that due to an existing diary engagement that I am unable to be here. I was delighted to attend the initial meeting held on 8 March and felt that the discussion was extremely productive. I know that the large numbers of crop circles in this part of Wiltshire offers many opportunities for the local economy, but that the needs of landowners must to be carefully considered. I would be delighted if some kind of ticketing system could be developed going forward.” David outlined the background of the meeting: there is a huge interest in crop circles. Many tourists who visit the County are interested in crop circles, and do not know where they can go or that there is a Code of Conduct that they should follow. There are several major conferences a year which attract significant numbers of overseas visitors. However, this interest can only be sustained and developed if farmers are not adversely affected by visitors. The aim of the meeting was to discuss ways in which farmers could be encouraged to allow access to crop circles on their land, if those who visited acted responsibly and if they could be compensated them for reduced crop yields. His interest in the topic was to enable crop circles to be promoted and appreciated, encouraging visitors to come to Wiltshire and stay in the area, bringing economic benefits. David emphasised that crop circles were not actively promoted to visitors to Wiltshire because of the difficulties over access. In turn, this hampered the opportunity to promote the Crop Circle Code of Conduct. He also outlined the way in which the Portable Antiquities Scheme had dramatically reduced the conflict and tension between detectorists. The Scheme has reduced illegal and illicit detecting and damage to farmers crops and protected archaeological sites. For Crop Circles, there was an opportunity to develop a crop circle ‘pass’ - similar in principle to an angling licence. David outlined that the aim of the meeting was to discus the idea of a mechanism which would enable access to be given to crop formations, while enabling farmers to be compensated for loss and damage to their crops. Any discussion regarding the origin of crop circles should be avoided. Monique Klinkenbergh: a Crop Circle Coordination & Information Centre for Wiltshire: Monique Klinkenbergh outlined the idea of a central coordination & information centre that would be of benefit for all parties and could bring order the current chaotic situation. Monique recently decided to close her Crop Circle Centre Centre in The
Netherlands to proceed in Wiltshire. Her proposed Crop Circle Coordination and Information Centre would evolve from the existing Crop Circle Information Centre “The Silent Circle” and would be directed by Derek Viner, Monique Klinkenbergh and Charles Mallet. Monique is aiming for the Centre to be operational from mid June 2013.
Farmers: brief introduction and key issues:
Most farmers see crop circles as criminal damage and vandalism and would like this to stop. They believe by cutting circles out, they will discourage the appearance of further circles on their land and therefore uninvited visitors, problems and damage. A group of 9 farmers across the Vale of Pewsey Vale have agreed to cut all formations immediately they appear. Two farmers pointed out that crop circles also brought positive experiences, for visitors and themselves. Some farmers commented that they do not like to encourage people to visit crop circles. Farmers and NFU does not like to see the Wiltshire Tourist organization promoting the crop circles as a visitor attraction. Farmers were angered and frustrated by some threatening behavior after cutting circles out, or denying access to them. Famers believe donation boxes do not work, as they are broken into and stolen, sometimes by people who use vehicles to take the boxes away. These thefts were not always reported to the police. The Police are concerned about dangerous parking and thefts from vehicles. Farmers explained that crop circle have a significant impact upon their business, with an estimate cost of £500-£1,000 for each circle in lost yields and other costs. Some crops grown for seed have a much higher value. Visitors sometimes park in locations that are dangerous or block farm access. Farmers also talked about public liability – they may be liable in the case of an injury to someone while they are on their land, even if they are there without the farmers permission and ignore warning signs and the Country Code Crop circle enthusiasts often stay in farmhouse B&Bs or holiday cottages. A famer commented that last season visitors were complaining about conflicts within the cropcircle (research) community, which made them reluctant to return to Wiltshire. Farmers are angered that they feel they are the last to know they have a circle on their land. Information and images are being put up on websites before the farmers themselves know. Farmers want to be guaranteed they will be compensated “fully” for all the losses they incur when a circle appears on their farm, before they will consider not cutting them out. They feel that they should be able to profit from any circle. One farmer commented that a guarantee of a payment as soon as the circle appeared would make him and other farmers reconsider cutting the circles out. The average cost for a circle would need to be established.
Researchers, tour leaders and conference organizers: thoughts on “a better way”
Farmers concerns and anger has been fully heard by the “CC Community ” and it became clear that a solution is needed. It was outlined that we are now dealing with a situation where both communities stood to lose out. It should be possible to turn this into a win-win situation. It was pointed out that no one had control over when and where Crop Circles appeared It was outlined that one contact/communication/coordination-point between farmers and the CC Community would be very helpful. Some people within off the CC Community already made serious efforts to reduce the friction. The Crop Circle Code of Conduct was agreed to be very helpful and needs a reprint. Farmers were invited to attend Crop Circle Conferences and, if they wished, to speak about the issues. It was suggested that people could pay a modest fee of £2‐3 to access a CC. This cost is very cheap when compared to other visitor attractions. Raising the suggested payment may help collect a more satisfactory amount with which to compensate farmers. Paul Jacobs outlined his CGI initiative at the meeting, offering a group of volunteers to man fields to welcome visitors and to collect money for the farmers. Paul currently has a small group of 6 volunteers willing to do this in 2013. However six is a small number, and if the number of formations were similar to those in 2012, then more volunteers would be needed.
Monique Klinkenbergh: A Crop Circle Access Pass;
a possible idea to permit access to crop formations while compensating famers for loss and damage. Outlined the idea of a Crop Circle Access Pass - the purpose of which is to properly compensate farmers for the crop loss and inconvenience of large numbers of visitors on their land. It would also help to control over access by informing visitors of the Code of Conduct and identifying agreed access routes). Many of the issues discussed at the meeting had been taken into account in a basic plan for the Access Pass. As there was no time left to discuss this in detail, it was agreed that the plan be emailed to those who had attended the meeting. Review and agree next steps. It was agreed that the current situation is unsustainable, particularly in this economic climate and when farm incomes have been badly hit by poor weather. It was agreed that there is an urgent need to consider change. David Dawson suggested a small group be formed who would be willing to investigate the Access Pass & Access Control plan in greater detail and report back to those present at this meeting.
Members of the implementation group:
CC Community: Steve and Karen Alexander, Glenn Broughton, Denni Clarke, Michael Glickman, Paul Jacobs, Monique Klinkenbergh, Lucy Pringle, Busty Taylor and Derek Viner. Farming community: James Sheppard (Poulton Farm Estate) and Andrea Witcombe (National Farmers Union). Wiltshire Police: Mark Randle, Rural Crime Team It was agreed that the implementation group will present their discussions to the next meeting which will take place mid May at the Wiltshire Museum. David Dawson and Monique Klinkenbergh; 29.4.2013
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