Residents examine local UFO activity
Two crop circles appeared in a field near the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana Highway 40 in August and September 2000. A Kalispell pilot, Gilbert Johnson, took the photos. The pilot reported a strange shift in his compass as he flew over the formation. (Photo courtesy of Joan Bird)
“This photo was taken April 2013 at about 12:45 p.m. The sun was way to the right of Columbia Mountain. As soon as I took the photo the ball of light collapsed into a small orb and flew off toward the East and quickly disappeared. Two months later two of my employees witnessed the same thing. Other people have also reported seeing large balls of light on or over Columbia Mountain.” — Joe Hauser
Joan Bird (Courtesy photo)
The Flathead Valley appears to be a hot spot for otherworldly activity. Crop circles have popped up north of Kalispell and reports have surfaced of orb-like UFOs frequenting the skies.
A series of crop circles appearing north of Kalispell in the late 1990s and early 2000s sparked Joan Bird’s interest in extraterrestrial activity. The Montana scientist and author went on to write “Montana UFOs and Extraterrestrials” after studying the mysterious activity in the Flathead Valley and beyond.
Joe Hauser, owner of the Montana Vortex and House of Mystery, said he thinks there’s something particularly out of this world happening in the Flathead Valley.
Hauser said he and his wife Tammy frequently use high-powered binoculars to spot UFOs flying “in and out” of Columbia Mountain. Similar UFO sightings have also been reported around Flathead Lake.
“Personally, I think they are some sort of extraterrestrial craft,” Hauser said.
UFO experts Bird and Hauser, who both have backgrounds in science, said the mounting body of evidence they’ve seen made them believe in extraterrestrials.
Bird said she thinks three out of four of the crop circles that appeared in the Flathead Valley are authentic.
While the first was likely made by humans, the other three exhibited otherworldly characteristics, she said. Authentic crop circles are known to create a mysterious electromagnetic field that can change the biology of crops.
“Some of the crop circles had an unknown energy that was bending the crop instead of breaking it,” Bird said.
Evidence collected at the scene of the second crop circle, near the intersection of U.S. 2 and Highway 40, exhibits the hallmarks of these energetic changes, according to Bird.
A pilot who flew over the crop circle also reported his compass being thrown off as he flew over the mysterious pattern, she said.
Columbia Falls resident Hauser said the extraterrestrial activity he sees typically appears in the form of white, orange or green balls of light in the sky around Columbia Mountain.
“Some of them shoot out of the mountain and hover in the sky, while others immediately take off straight into the Milky Way,” he said. “Sometimes they do aerial acrobatics. I’ve seen one make a ‘Z’ pattern back and forth before shooting off.”
The activity ebbs and flows, according to Hauser. Some nights he doesn’t see any of the objects appear. Other times, he could see up to a dozen.
“This summer we have had more UFO sightings than ever before,” Hauser reported.
Hauser and his wife, who own the Montana Vortex attraction, host UFO sighting nights each year.
“This year when people came out they were amazed to see so much activity,” Hauser said.
Whatever these flying objects are, their capabilities go way beyond any kind of conventional aircraft, Hauser said.
Bird, also said she has seen light moving in a way that is not associated with any kind of aircraft.
Bird, a conservation biologist, said she’s convinced the Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials. Her book discusses declassified government documents, historic reports and first-hand interviews with witnesses.
“Once you start looking at it, there is quite a bit of convincing evidence,” she said.
While Hauser doesn’t claim to know exactly why the Flathead Valley seems to attract extraterrestrial activity, he is convinced that what he has been seeing is not from this planet.
The paranormal investigator believes heightened extraterrestrial activity is happening in Montana and beyond.
“There have been more UFO sightings reported this year than ever before, so there seems to be something going on across the U.S.,” he said.
Bird said she’s seen a change occurring since she first started studying extraterrestrial events in the late ’90s. The culture has veered away from public ridicule and started to become more open to the idea of extraterrestrial activity on earth.
“People are starting to feel more comfortable talking about it,” Bird said. “I think if anybody is really willing to begin to examine the evidence, they will see there is something more there.”
The National UFO Reporting Center shows 756 UFO sightings in Montana since records began being kept. The most recent was reported near Polson on Oct. 14 of this year.
Reporter Breeana Laughlin can be reached at 758-4441 or blaughlin@dailyinterlake.com.