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Northern Lights Paranormal Research Society is headquartered in Marinette County, Wisconsin, and is dedicated to seeking out the truth in all things. Our mission is simple: to discover the truth, no matter where it may lie.
 
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 the MUFON connection

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soothsayer
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Join date : 2013-04-11
Age : 51
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PostSubject: the MUFON connection   the MUFON connection I_icon_minitimeSun Jun 07 2015, 21:41

On Saturday June 6th, I attended the first annual Milwaukee Paranormal Convention. One of the discussions was entitled High Strangeness in Wisconsin: Odd UFO Encounters in the Cheese State, and was presented by MUFON representative and field investigator Mark O'Connell.

During the presentation, Mr O'Connell mentioned that Wisconsin has only three field investigators. This got me to thinking: with regards to NLPRS, I've always envisioned it to be all encompassing, to be able to investigate a wide variety of paranormal activities, including crytozoology and the UFO phenomena. Until word of our team gets out, how better to get some experience than to join with an established and recognized organization?

Later in the day I approached MUFON's table to talk to Mr O'Connell, but with the amount of people present I wasn't able to. I did, however, see that there were a stack of applications on the table's edge, so I grabbed one. On the form, it stated I could either fill out the paperwork, or go online to do the same thing.

The form itself was nothing special. In order to become a member of MUFON,one simply had to subscribe to their magazine (either the digital, or the digital and hard copy). One has to be a member of MUFON in order to become a field investigator, and in order to become a FI, one must first order the MUFON Field Investigator's Manual and then take the exam, which as it turns out is open book.

...

Today I went to the MUFON website to do just that, to become a member and to order the manual; I cannot say how long it will take for the manual to arrive, but I'll post a response when it does.

There is a third requirement as listed on the MUFON site, and that is to contact your MUFON state director; there is an interactive map attached to that particular page. I contacted Wisconsin's representative and got a response a few hours later. Going by the contact information he provided, I was able to figure out that he lives within the Superior WI area. And, judging by his response, things seem pretty positive.

...

Now, understand that MUFON has its own confidentiality requirements, and I am certain that I cannot advertise NLPRS as been affiliated with them... but there is nothing to say that I couldn't to that to myself. As an example: "Michael Lee Strandt, Field Investigator for MUFON and founder of NLPRS..." Or vice versa, depending on the case.

Now, however this pans out, it will be a positive for Northern Lights. The way I'm looking at this is that this would be another credential, another selling point, not to mention the fact that it is a continuation of my desire to seek the truth and knowledge of the unexplained.
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soothsayer
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PostSubject: Re: the MUFON connection   the MUFON connection I_icon_minitimeFri Jun 12 2015, 09:13

Field Investigator's Manual review

The manual arrived at my home yesterday via priority mail. The manual was wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in a standard priority mail box, further cushioned by newsprint.

The manual itself is, for all appearances, a PDF that has been printed in black and white, and placed within a 2" binder; for anyone planning on purchasing this, it will make more economical sense to simply by the pdf file and print it as you see fit. That makes more sense as well in that you can put the file on to your laptop or other portable computing device; I'm in the process of scanning the manual to do just that.

I doubt that I'd be able to go into details of the manual, but it is worth mentioning that it covers a lot of ground, some common sense, some that I learned through my law enforcement training, and some that is specific to the types of investigations which you might be involved in. The information contained is helpful, but of all honesty, isn't anything that you wouldn't be able to pick up from observation or shadowing a trainer, or from a second hand criminal investigations handbook commonly found at thrift stores. There is a large segment that contains the various types of forms one would need to file or use during an investigation, but it is also mentioned that these forms can be obtained from the MUFON website.

So all told, what does this actually mean? There is no real clear cut reason behind the purchase of the manual, as it contains nothing that can't be learned or acquired elsewhere. The sole reason to get the manual, I believe, is simple: it's a required step to gain the title of Field Investigator within the MUFON organization. The cost of the manual makes for a good deterrent in keeping those with only a passing interest from applying for membership.

The manual does come with a multiple choice test and answer sheet, a confidentiality agreement, and a Volunteer Disclosure Statement; this essentially replaces is is used in lieu of a standard background check release form; MUFON has had some issues with that in the past, and so it seems they have taken a different direction. There is nothing on these forms that would cause anyone hesitation or confusion, and is actually pretty standard stuff; NLPRS even uses them, so I had no worries or issues in filling them out.

While the manual is well written and organized, the same cannot be said for the test. The are numerous grammatical or syntax errors, as well as some spelling mistakes and some alignment issues. I admit, at times I can be a grammar Nazi, especially when it comes to reports or articles; if you want to be taken seriously, you have to present yourself as such. This isn't saying the test in unprofessional; it just has the appearance of being revised or updated on an as needed basis. The test itself has 100 questions, most of which are grouped and referenced according to sections in the manual.

The answer sheet is also group according to section, but there are a few questions from each group that should actually be placed within a different section. This might simply be a device to get people to read through the manual instead of flipping through the sections in order to find the answers, or it could also be the result of test or manual updates.

The final group of questions (not to be confused with the final segment) are not related to the manual, but rather tests your general knowledge of UFO history or related, and can easily be found online if you are unsure.

One note of warning: there are a lot of "all of the above" answers. Don't let this throw you. Also, there are many answers which differ by one word from what appears in the text of the manual; one word is enough to change the meaning or context of the sentence, and will play out in the test.

Without reading the manual, I was able to complete the test within a three hour period; this includes away time to eat supper, wash dishes, and watch a little bit of TV here and there. I need the television on whenever I do work for some reason... background noise? A radio won't work. Anyway, it isn't a hard or demanding test. A good portion of the questions I was able to answer out of common sense and prior training, and while some questions did involve turning to the manual, it is easy enough to find what you are looking for without frustration.

Just going off of memory here, but I believe you need to pass the test with a score of at least 80%, or have no more than twenty questions wrong. And, if memory serves, you have up to three attempts to pass the test.

Once you have finished the exam, mail the answer sheet and the forms you answered / signed, as well as a picture of yourself (high def, 448x336 pixels, 300dpi or higher) to the enclosed address. The picture is for ID purposes; yes, you are required to have a MUFON identification card (another practice we at NLPRS use). There is a photo uploader on their website, but for me, it makes more sense to simply mail it with the application, although now that I think about it, I may upload one as well, just to have all bases covered.
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PostSubject: Re: the MUFON connection   the MUFON connection I_icon_minitimeFri Jun 19 2015, 16:54

Earlier today I received an email from MUFON Headquarter's Office Manager Marketa Klimova. With this email were two documents, one of which was labeled MUFON Examination Results. What follows is a snippet of that letter.

Quote :
Dear Michael; Congratulations on passing the Mufon International Field Investigator test. We welcome you and thank you for joining our investigations team.

The second document was simply an instructional on how to log onto their system; nothing to report on that. Since I've already submitted a photo of myself, an identification card should be arriving sometime within a week or so.

Now while NLPRS (mainly me) has access to MUFON resources for any investigation of this nature, this does not mean that MUFON will use us (the team). I know I've made mention of this before, but I feel it needs repeating, just in case this ever comes to question. NLPRS is not affiliated with MUFON, and I am not trying to make it as such.
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PostSubject: Re: the MUFON connection   the MUFON connection I_icon_minitimeThu Apr 07 2016, 10:54

Performing MUFON cases

In regards to my handling MUFON cases, there isn't that much of a difference when compared to our other investigations; the same skill set and mentality is involved.  However, I do want to detail what I do or how I do it, in case anyone has suggestions or questions my methodology.

1.  Upon receiving an email stating that a case has been assigned to me, I send a Letter of Introduction to the reporting witness, either by email or the postal service, depending on what the person has listed under contact information.  I do not call them because, in all honesty, I think that people might be more hesitant in talking than in writing.  Also, a vast majority of my cases have been outside of my travel area; at the time I started, I had a different cell phone package that would not have reacted too kindly to numerous and lengthy conversations.  Besides, a Letter of Introduction just seems more professional.

Quote :
Good morning!  My name is Mike Strandt, and I am a field investigator for MUFON (badge number 22995), and I have just been assigned the case which you reported on {enter date here} of this year.  I will be going over the information you provided on our website, as well as collecting information from other sources.  Additionally, this afternoon I will send you a PDF copy of MUFON's General Sighting Report, and while it contains most of the same information as on the website, there are some minor differences that might offer some additional details in better understanding this event.

Until then, if there is anything else you can recall about this event, please do not hesitate in contacting me.  Thank you for submitting this to MUFON, I hope I can do it the justice it deserves.

-Mike Strandt
michael.strandt@gmail.com

2.  Because I like to have physical copies of everything, I then print of the initial email along with the case file on MUFON's CMS site (Case Management System), along with any jpegs that are associated with the case.  I also download and and all images, files, or videos onto my laptop.

3.  At this point, I begin to examine what has been presented.  I look for the location of the event on Google Maps and other satellite imaging sites to try to get the lay of the land, to which I'll print off the map as well; if provided, I'll note the direction the witness was facing and the direction the object was seen or traveling.

4.  Check weather archive sites and record that information, both because it is required information with MUFON and to determine level of clarity or visible distance.  I then also check to see if there are any airports nearby, check flight routes if there are.  Lastly, I look for any events that were taking place in that area, whether they are man made fireworks, parachuting, etc) or celestial (meteor shower).  I will then check MUFON's site as well as other UFO reporting sites to see if there are any other cases within that area that could show a pattern.

5.  If I have any questions regarding the event or any information found, I will contact the witness to see if he can help fill in the blanks.

...Regarding images...

1.  First, the most basic of things: I check the image's information.  Or rather, the camera's.  Right click on the image and open "properties".  Check the details, and more often than not, it'll tell you when the picture was taken (date and time), type of camera used, and all the camera settings.  You can use this information to check to see if there are known issues with the camera, if the settings were wrong for the image taken, and so on.  I am not an expert in any of this, I'm just learning as I go, and as such I tend to consult with an outside source, a respected photographer in my area.

2.  I'll then adjust some filters on the picture to bring out additional detail.  I forget which program I use (I'm typing this at work, my laptop is at home).  Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't.  I make sure to note anything I've done to alter the image, always saving the new altered image as a separate file.

3. I will also try to compare the images I have with images found on various internet browsers, to see if there is anything similar in appearance, and then I will make a comparison between the two, both visually and known behavioral patterns.

...field investigations...

With my new case load taking on sightings closer to my preferred work area, I can begin to travel to these locations, and see things first hand without having to rely on dated satellite images.

And please, note that I am not trying to debunk all cases; I am working through a process of elimination, to remove anything that it might be. You don't want to have too many variables. Eliminate everything you can, give yourself fewer possibilities.
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PostSubject: Re: the MUFON connection   the MUFON connection I_icon_minitimeFri May 20 2016, 12:44

I have resigned my position as a field investigator with MUFON as of this morning.  I emailed both the State Director and the Director of Investigations the following message, with the hopes that something will happen to resolve current or ongoing issues.  As always, names have been edited out.

Quote :
Effective immediately, I am hereby resigning from MUFON as a field investigator.  Over the past few weeks I have noted a troubling trend, one with which I cannot in good conscious continue to abide, as it goes against both my formal training and profession in law enforcement and security.

I have seen several of my case findings deleted or removed, with those cases being reassigned; I have seen reporting witness’s information altered to match findings of the investigation; I have seen findings altered to present an agenda to push for more unexplained activity when initial findings do not.  Likewise, on a few occasions I have been instructed to not so much investigate, and in turn identify or provide possibilities towards events, but to label events as being one thing or another in an effort to match existing trends.  My reports have always been well detailed and documented, approaching things from a neutral mindset, providing findings based on the facts of the initial report, and to perform any action other than that is akin to falsifying a report.

When becoming a Field Investigator for MUFON, I had believed that it was our job to investigate cases, to try to find explanations for the cases we could, to weed out the known so that all that was left was the unknown.  I have performed these duties accordingly and justly, presenting the facts and making known my opinion, keeping the two separate.  However, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain that perspective when you are told MUFON wants more of this, doesn’t want that, or how the latest trend or flap should be reflected within the findings.

Now I fully understand that I am not a perfect investigator, that there are things I could improve on, and I have taken every suggestion offered by Wisconsin State Director (interim) --- to heart.  She has made great efforts to improve the quality of my reports to match MUFON standards; as such, my resignation should not be viewed negatively upon her, nor on the former director ---.  This is merely a conflict of opinion, one which I can no longer ignore.   And, as I feel it needs to be said, this is not a decision that I took lightly.  I have thought this through for the past couple weeks, weighing the benefits of being associated with MUFON against what I have been working for on a personal and professional level; in the end, the decision fell to personal convictions.

I appreciate all that I have learned while serving within this organization and the efforts of everyone involved, and I hope that in the future our paths may cross again.
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