Mitchel Townsend, a professor at Centralia College, has found evidence that he believes will prove the existence of Big Foot.
A Winlock-area man wants the town to be the home of a research and education center about environmental issues and conservation, Native American culture and Bigfoot.
Mitchel Townsend, who has taught Bigfoot classes though Centralia College’s Continuing Education Program and at Lower Columbia College, is seeking support from the city to open a center that he hopes will provide an economic boost not only to the town, but Lewis County as well.
Townsend has spoken to the Winlock City Council at its last two meetings about his idea.
He is proposing two options: either operating just as an education and research center or also offering city services at the location.
Council members Monday expressed their interest in Townsend’s ideas, but need to explore the legalities of being a part of a public-private partnership facility.
“It’s something that could go somewhere and become a museum here,” Councilor Sarah Gifford said at a Monday council meeting.
The council plans to discuss the idea further at its next meeting on Sept. 14.
In his public-private partnership vision, the center would centralize city and social services as well as house the educational and research center.
If the city decides to move forward with him in that direction, Townsend thinks it will have a better chance at securing more grant funding.
“I do think this is a good thing. It’s going to get built somewhere, it’s just where is it going to get built at? So it’s whether or not we partner with him to go after the larger grant money or just send letters of support,” Winlock Mayor Lonnie Dowell said.
For the center itself, Townsend wants to put together interactive displays about Bigfoot, which would be the central attraction, along with displays and information about conservation, preservation, animal habitat and Native American culture and history.
“It’s more of a social movement to reconnect with habitat and the Earth and animal species and using Bigfoot as the apex draw,” Townsend said.
He also wants to offer his Bigfoot classes both at the facility and online and hopes to bring in entities that want to teach people about the environment and culture.
His vision includes permanent displays as well as getting voluntary or leased displays from other organizations, agencies and people.
Townsend said he has a space in downtown Winlock in mind that he would like to utilize, but hasn’t yet talked to the owner. It is near the railroad, and, eventually, he would like to see an operating station in the town again where people could stop in Winlock and go all the way to Mount St. Helens.
“They need an economic development engine (in Winlock), and I think that given the circumstance and the evidence that we have and the exposure that we’ve gotten with cooperative we can do that,” Townsend said.
