Type of Report: Preliminary: Stevens Point, WI Multiple Nocturnal Light/Maneuver Sighting
Date of Report: 30 December 2001
Investigator: Craig R. Lang - Field Investigator, MN MUFON

Date/Time of Sighting: ((Click Here to view initial report)) 11 Dec, 2001 - 7:00 PM CST
Place of Sighting: Stevens Point, WI
Local Evaluation: Inconclusive - possible IFO hypotheses needs to be evaluated



Sighting Background

MUFON was informed of this sighting when the director of UFOWisconsin.com, an organization which accepts and catalogs Wisconsin sighting reports over the internet, received an on-line report from the witness. He sent this report to George Filer, for inclusion into the Filers Files electronic newsletter. As a result of this, MN MUFON learned of the sighting. Since I planned to be in Stevens Point shortly thereafter, I volunteered to interview the witness. The witness lives about 30 miles south of Stevens Point, so I was able to interview her on 23 December. Some excellent information was obtained regarding the sighting, which may warrant further follow-up to evaluate possible prosaic explanations (see below).

Investigation, Activity Log and Interviews:

11 December, 2001 - Sighting at 7PM by primary and two other witnesses
12 December 2001 - Sighting reported to www.UFOWisconsin.com , which also forwarded it to Filer's Files
19 December, 2001 - CL Noted report in Filers' Files, offered to interview witness
22 December, 2001 - Contact witness and arrange interview
23 December, 2001 - Interviewed primary witness. Obtained full sighting account and learned names of additional witnesses.

Witness Description:

The witness is a 31 year old female. She works in inventory control for a company in the Stevens Point, WI area. Her education level is High School, plus 1 ½ years of college, with additional training in graphic arts. Her vision is 20/20, and occasional wears glasses for computer use. Her health and hearing are described as good, and have not been affected in any known way by events related to the sighting. She appears to be both objective and curious. Her description of the sighting was clear and precise.

In addition to the primary witness, two other witness names were provided. I was not able to look up those witnesses. If the case warrants, these may be located at a future time.

Sighting Account:

The witness was on a break from her job as an inventory controller at a company warehouse in Stevens P oint, WI. She was standing in a small shelter near the south side of the building, which provided an excellent view to the south. Her attention was caught by an orange flash low in the southwestern sky.

Her initial reaction was concern that the flash might have been from an airplane crash. However as she watched, the flash quickly faded and she noted other lights in about the same elevation and direction. These appeared to be stationary or maneuvering. She also saw a second pair of sustained orange flashes (flares) appearing in the region in which the lights were maneuvering. As the plane crash concern lessened in her mind, she now found the light show interesting and impressive (her literal words: "cooler than fireworks").

In a few minutes, she was joined by the second witness, who had also come out to take a break from work. The second witness also noticed the lights, but was frightened by them - feeling that they might be associated with war.

Description of Object/Lights:

The witness described initial flash and the later orange flashes to the south as being about 1 to 2 inches long at arms length [CL Note: it was not clear if this was the path length traveled by the light sources, or if it was the actual size of an object/light]. The two flashes lasted for about three seconds and seemed to parallel each other. They seemed to remain relatively stationary and then disappeared.

The other lights were described as white and twinkling. They appeared to be fast moving - and were described as being difficult to actually count. The primary witness estimated that there were about 5 or 6 lights present. She also noted that there were no red or green lights associated with them, which might be expected on aircraft. The lights' motion was generally such that one would seem to vanish from one spot and reappear in a different spot (about 4 inches away at arms length). She did not observe motion between the two points [Note: elapsed time between disappearance and reappearance?].

Both witnesses felt that the altitude was not extremely high. The primary witness gave an elevation of about 30 to 45 degrees. They appeared to be at an elevation at, or above the level of nearby telephone wires which were about 70 yards away. [CL Note: An elevation of less than 15 degrees would be required in order to be consistent with geometry of distant aircraft maneuvers. See analysis, below].

The two witnesses watched the lights for what they estimated to be about 10 minutes. During that time they brought the "light show" to the attention of another employee who was nearby working briefly on a truck at the warehouse (Note: his name, but no other contact information is known).

Sighting Ending:

One light then headed quickly from the south-southwestern sky to the southern sky where it vanished. The witness describes the other lights as vanishing. The primary witness indicates that the lights disappeared with no observable departure or fade-out.

Additional Witnesses:

In addition to the primary witness, the secondary witness observed the "light show". A third witness, who was working on a nearby truck at the warehouse also observed the lights. For both additional witnesses, the name is known, but no other contact info is available.

Weather Conditions:

The primary witness describes the weather conditions as clear and cold. There were no clouds and visibility was unlimited. Weather data is still needed from the state climatologist or National Climatic Data Center.

Analysis:

A rough estimate of elevation angle, and therefore the probable altitude of the lights can be obtained as follows: If we assume a 50 elevation for the power/phone lines, 70 yards away from the witness, we obtain a distance-to-height ratio of about 200ft to 50ft, or about 4 to 1. This would give an angle of about 15 degrees, which is less than the witness' stated angle of nearly 45 degrees but consistent with the geometry of the sighting. If Camp Douglas is about 50 miles away, this would indicate that the altitude of the lights was 50/4 or 12.5 miles. This is about 60,000 feet, which is a very high altitude for most aircraft.

Natural/Manmade Phenomena Check:

Additional commentary on ufowisconsin.com suggests that this sighting may be of military maneuvers in the Camp Douglas, WI area. This is a possibility, but is inconclusive at this time.

Sighting Evaluation:

Inconclusive - this report is preliminary. More field work is needed before a conclusion can be reached. I recommend that a local investigator (if possible) check into the weather conditions and the nature of any military air maneuvers at that time. The distance from Stevens Point, WI and the altitude of possible military maneuvers need to be established before the "military aircraft" hypothesis can be either confirmed or refuted.