Editor's Notes: Jon reports that about 50 people in all attended this crop circle conference, which included other MUFON of Ohio members. He says that much of the conference was technical in nature, but he especially enjoyed the two lectures given by Jeff Wilson.
 

Jeff Wilson is one of the leading crop circle researchers in the Ohio area. Jeff recently moved to Ohio from Michigan. Perhaps this is because Ohio has more crop circles than Michigan and is also more centrally located to other states in which crop circles are located.

Rodger Sugden, another leading researcher and [assistant Director of Indiana MUFON],
was another of the presenters at the conference. Rodger seems to think that some complex Ohio crop circles are extremely significant for their complex geometric patterns.

Report on the Second Annual International Crop Circle Research
Association Meeting
By Jon Fry

From April first to the third, the Second Annual International Crop Circle Research Association Meeting was held at Woodland Altars in Adams County. Research scientist Jeff Wilson presided. He gave a lecture on the history of the phenomenon and recent developments.

The earliest crop circles in the U.S. date from 1847, but information on those early formations are sketchy. An 1880 crop formation is better documented. From 1880 to the present, Ohio and Iowa are tied for the highest number of crop formations found, at 34 each. Next is California with 23, then New York, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana and Oregon. In fact, 49 of 50 states have had crop formations. They have been reported in every month of the year and in a variety of crop types. 31% are found in wheat, 20% in grass, and 10% in corn. The 2003 Locust Grove formation near Serpent Mound was found in soybeans.

Several good Ohio cases occurred in 2004. On July 1, 2004, in Hillsboro, a random pattern was found in corn. Hematite particles were found within the formation, which is significant. A scientist from Eastern Michigan University said hematite should only be found in volcanoes! Needless to say, there are no volcanoes in Ohio.

A Versailles, Kentucky case from June 27, 2004 involved eyewitnesses to the actual formation of the circle. The witnesses' experienced a tingling sensation in their hands, which reportedly glowed red. They also saw sparks above the area where the circle was formed. Several other cases in 2004 involved sightings of BOLs (Balls of Light).

There was speculation as to why more complex formations are occurring here in the Midwest when previously, there were only simple formations found.

Joanne Emory of Canada spoke on recent Canadian formations. Interestingly enough, a crop circle appeared in Canada on the day of the famous 2003 blackout in the U.S. and parts of Canada.  No real connection has been found, so it may only be an interesting coincidence.

Another interesting statistic is that 95% of crop formations have one or more of the following factors in common; They are often found in close proximity to power lines and/or water, and often appear on a downward sloping hill. Also, 65% of midwestern formations are found near ancient Native American mounds or earthworks.

Rodger Sugden, of Indiana MUFON, spoke on anomalies found in photos taken over the crop formations. Some of these anomalies are not found until months later and were not seen by the photographer at the time the photos were taken.

Ted Robertson, also from Indiana, spoke on Gerald Hawkins' diatonic ratio theory of crop formations. The lecture was entitled "Music and Geometry of Crop Circles."

There was a panel discussion of instruments used in crop circle investigations. It was stated that one should test the equipment in a "control" field before using it in a crop formation.

Dr. Charles Lietzan gave a lecture on how to measure the enlarged or expanded nodes on the stalks of the crop found within the crop formation.

Jeff Wilson stated that the first known researcher in the phenomenon was Robert Plot, a professor of Chemistry at Oxford in the late 1600s. He excavated 50 sites and found squares, swirls, geometric patterns, and pictograms. Plot did the first soil sampling of the sites. He also found that animals avoid crop circles.

Jeff Wilson gave a very thought provoking, second lecture on speculating on the nature of the phenomenon. He discussed psychologist Carl Jung's theories. Wilson also stated that Dr. John Mack was working on a unified force theory regarding the phenomenon prior to his death in 2004. Mack thought that crop formations are evidence that a non-human intelligence is trying to communicate with us. The Newtonian and Cartesian worldview is fading. Another theory is that crop formations may be an extraordinary crossover to the human race from another dimension.