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Champ, the Famed Monster
of
Lake Champlain |
In the
eyes of the Lake Champlain Land Trust, Champ embodies
the mysteries, wonders and importance of the Lake and the
creatures
that may or may not live within.
The
fact
that we do not know whether Champ exists, means there is still an
undiscovered and protected portion of the Lake left to
discover. Perhaps most importantly,
Champ helps educate the public about this beautiful place
and gives us all a reason to sit quietly
by the Lake and ponder what
lies
beneath.
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What is Champ- a dinosaur, a
plesiosaur, a whale? Part of
believing that Champ exists means you need to have a fairly
good explanation
for what he might be. Theories abound. One theory suggests
that Champ is a dinosaur that managed to escape
extinction and lives
on in
Lake Champlain. Another suggests that the creatures could
be surviving zeuglodons, a primitive form of whale with a long
snake
like body. These creatures
have been thought to be long extinct, however fossils of them have
been found a few miles form Lake Champlain in Charlotte, VT. Champ
might also be a Lake Sturgeon. There are
sturgeon in Lake Champlain and they can grow to great lengths.
They are a very old, almost prehistoric
fish with a scale-less body that is supported by a
partially cartilaginous skeleton along with rows of scutes.
Its single
dorsal fin, running along its spine, would match many descriptions
of Champ, although its sharp, shark-like tail would not.
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Plesiosaur
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Another theory
is that Champ could be related to a plesiosaur. A plesiosaur
is a prehistoric water dwelling reptile (not a dinosaur) with
a long snakelike head and four large flippers. Plesiosaurs
loved fish and other aquatic animals. Scientists date the plesiosaur
to the Triassic period, 200 million years ago, through the
Cretaceous period, about 65 million years ago (when all dinosaurs
are thought to have gone extinct). 
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How
many Champs would it take to
continue a population in Lake Champlain?
It would take approximately 50
mature Champs, at the least, to have a breeding population
of Champs in the Lake and 500 to keep the species
alive
in the long term. While the numbers are daunting, Lake Champlain
does provide an ideal habitat for such a creature. The Lake
is 120 miles long, 400 feet deep in places and home to a diverse
population of
birds
and
aquatic life which would be more than enough to sustain the
belly of this great beast. Additionally, the lake, in its present
form, has been around
quite awhile —around 10,000 years.
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When was the first Champ sighting?
There have been at least 300 reported
unexplained sightings of Champ over the years' There is no certainty
when the first sighting of Champ was; however, the creature was
depicted by Native Americans. It was said that Samuel de Champlain
saw Champ in 1609. This claim that he spotted a “strange
monster” has been traced by historians to actually have
occurred in the St. Lawrence estuary however.
In 1819 in Port Henry, NY, a railroad crew reported to have spotted a “head
of an enormous serpent sticking out of the water and approaching them from the
opposite shore.” Around the time of this sighting, farmers nearby claimed
to have missing livestock, with drag marks leading to the shore. There was also
an an early Champ sighting reported in the New York Times in 1873.
There is now a website dedicated to
recording Champ sightings. To learn more about specific sightings
go to Champ
Quest.
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How many reported sightings of Champ
have there been?
Indeed, there have been over 300
reported sightings in the last 100 years. Here are a few
of the highlights:
- 1819: Bulwagga Bay, Port Henry, NY
- 1871: Horseshoe Bay, riders of the
steamship Curlew claimed to see a head and long neck that
created quite a wake.
- 1870: Charlotte, Vermont, a full
steamboat spotted Champ
- 1873: Dresden, New York, another
steamboat full spotted Champ
- 1945: In the middle of the lake the
creature was spotted by the famous S.S. Ticonderoga
- 1954: A 14 inch reptile was trapped
in Shelburne Bay, possibly a baby…
- 1977: The Mansi photograph was taken
by Sandra Mansi, a tourist from Connecticut, with her Kodak
Instamatic, of what she called a dinosaur. This has become
the most famous piece of evidence—featured nationally
in Time Magazine and the New York Times among others.
- 1984: Off Appletree Point, Vermont.
86 passengers aboard the Ethan Allen spotted 3 to 5 “humps” which
disappeared after about 3 minutes due to the approach of
a speed boat.
- 1993: Button Bay State Park, Ferrisburgh,
Vermont. A baby Champ reportedly swam between two women
bathers.
- 1995: Dennis Hall of Champ Quest
recorded Champ on video.
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Are there any pictures of Champ?
The best picture of Champ is the
Mansi photograph taken in the summer of 1977. Sandra Mansi and
her fiancé Anthony were vacationing on the shores of Lake
Champlain when they saw a great head and neck break the surface
of the lake. Sandra quickly grabbed her Kodak Instamatic and
snapped a shot. That shot is the best evidence that Champ actually
exists in Lake Champlain. The photograph has been examined by
experts who claim that it has not been altered in any way. The
photograph was in the New York Times and Time Magazine among
others. Mansi
Photograph. There are other purported pictures of Champ but
the Mansi one
is clearly the best to date.
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Where is the best place to look for Champ?
The best thing
to do is head out to a preserved property along the Lake,
and just watch the water. Many claim that the friendly beast
is scared off by boats, and will swim away from any water disturbance.
This characteristic shyness makes Champ an allusive creature
or at least is a rational for his infrequent appearances. There
have been sightings on and around the Lake in New York, Quebec,
and
Vermont
so you
can
start
almost
anywhere.
It
you
want to be a little more selective check out Champ
Quest,
the only nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting data,
recording
sightings,
and searching for Champ. Additionally, Joseph
W. Zarzynski, formerly a social studies teacher, has written
many books on Champ from his 16 years of research and founded
the Lake Champlain Phenomenon Investigation.
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Other Champ Resources on the Internet:
Champ Quest
Champ
of Lake Champlain
Champ,
the Lake Champlain Monster
Champ
a Brief History
Cryptozoology/com -
The Denizen of Lake Champlain
The Legend of Nessie - The
Loch Ness Monster
Nova
- The Beast of Lock Ness -
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Saving Our Lakeshore and Natural Areas
Lake Champlain Land Trust One Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401 802.862.4150 or info@LCLT.org |
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