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| UFO investigators drawn to Sylvan Lake mystery |
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| Tuesday, 18 August 2009 | |
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Jennifer Larson Staff Writer The mystery at Sylvan Lake on July 27 remains unsolved after a thorough search by local agencies and now a probing by a nongovernmental group seeking to document such things that seem out of ordinary. Rich Webb, a field investigator and Star Team member with the Mutual UFO Network, came to Forest Lake from Omaha, NE, last Friday to follow-up on an anonymous report that was submitted to the organization via its website. As previously reported by the Forest Lake Times, the search and rescue team from Forest Lake Fire and Rescue responded with its airboat to a report from the 100 block of N. 204th Street just before 2 p.m. of a sizeable object landing in the body of water located south of Scandia Trail (TH-97). The Washington County Dive Team also had nine members searching below the surface through murky water to depths of around 26 feet without locating anything. Webb said the incident met certain criteria for MUFON to open a case file. Although nothing was seen splashing into Sylvan Lake, a credible eyewitness spied the water rippling out 30 to 40 feet from a spot about 165 yards from the caller’s shoreline property. The incident report made to the Forest Lake Police Department report included a first-hand description from the resident of a large swirl and it appeared the water was churning. Webb said two things struck him as unusual: the centrally circular wave moving outward and a 20 foot diameter of air bubbles emanating from the bottom of the lake found by search and rescue. At the center of the circle it appeared to be an area where the water was more turbulent and bubbling more violently. He noted that MUFON studies phenomenon with scientific methods. It is possible that what was spotted was the release of methane gas, Webb said. “Odd things happen in nature,” he added. After the fire department left, the county arrived with its side scanning sonar which is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor. According to the sheriff’s office initial complaint report, something was located. The anomaly appeared to be an object the size of a dryer or wash machine and man-made in origins, but is not a rounded object. It was surmised that it could be a satellite that had fallen to earth or something similar, the sheriff’s report said. A big question mark remains as to what caused the splash and what lies on the lake bed, said Chief Deputy Mike Johnson. Webb said that case number 18646 has been closed by MUFON. And whatever it was is still unknown. While the UFO hunters investigation may have come as a surprise to the parties involved, Webb said the agencies that responded to the call were very professional when relaying the facts to him. “I don’t think there was a giggle factor,” Webb said. Social Bookmarking ...       |
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