Skinwalker Ranch

Skinwalker Ranch is a 480-acre property in Utah known for a long history of paranormal and UAP-related events. The ranch was a subject of investigation for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AAWSAP), the precursor to the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).¹

Phenomena and Investigation

The ranch has been the site of a wide range of anomalous activity, including UAP sightings, strange apparitions, and other terrifying experiences. Visitors have reported seeing a variety of UAP, from orbs to larger craft, and have experienced equipment malfunctions and other strange occurrences.¹

In the mid-1990s, the ranch was purchased by Robert Bigelow, who established the National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDS) to study the phenomena. When AAWSAP was established with Bigelow's company, Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), as the primary contractor, the investigation of Skinwalker Ranch became a part of the program's portfolio. Teams of researchers were sent to the ranch to collect data on the anomalous activity.¹

One of the most disturbing phenomena associated with the ranch is the "hitchhiker effect," a term coined by Jay Stratton. This refers to the tendency for the paranormal phenomena to "follow" investigators home, harassing them and their families long after they have left the property. Luis Elizondo notes that his own experiences with orbs in his home began after he started working with the program, and that other members of the team had similar experiences.¹

Press Report of April 1997

The Deseret News reporter Zack Van Eyck wrote in April 1997 (reprinted in The Uintah Basin Standard on April 29) that the 480-acre property near Randlett, in Uintah County, had been bought the previous September by Robert Bigelow, "a Las Vegas real estate magnate who founded" the National Institute for Discovery Science, three months after its owners Terry and Gwen Sherman first told their story publicly in that newspaper. The Shermans reported that three cattle were found dead and partly mutilated, that seven others "disappeared," and that three dogs vanished one night in the summer of 1996. The institute's spokesman said its researchers had not seen the flying craft, cattle mutilations or dog-killing "balls of light" the Shermans described; John B. Alexander said "There have been some minor observations, but nothing you would stand behind." Sheriff's Sergeant Steve Hatzidakis said no reports had reached his office since Bigelow bought the ranch, and that two cattle mutilations had been reported the previous summer on a neighboring ranch. The story stated that Sherman signed a nondisclosure agreement with Bigelow after selling, and had given his account to the Colorado writer David Perkins for a story in Spirit magazine.²

The Blue Orbs

One of the most dangerous phenomena reported at the ranch are the blue orbs. In one incident, two dogs owned by a rancher chased a blue orb into a field and were vaporized, leaving behind only grease spots on the sagebrush. Luis Elizondo wrote that the orbs emit a form of directed energy that can be harmful or even lethal to living tissue.¹

Connection to AATIP

The investigation of Skinwalker Ranch was a controversial aspect of the AATIP program. While program leader James Lacatski believed that the paranormal events at the ranch were inextricably linked to the UAP mystery, the focus on such phenomena drew criticism from within the Pentagon and contributed to the internal opposition that ultimately led to the program losing its official support.¹