This article was published in the daily newspaper Terrace Standard, Terrace, British Columbia, Canada, on April 2, 2003.
By JENNIFER LANG
TERRACE IS living up to its reputation as a UFO hot spot.
As many as 30 people may have recently witnessed two black, triangular-shaped flying objects in the Lakelse Lake area, the northwest's resident UFO researcher has been told.
Brian Vike, field researcher and president of HBCC-UFO, is now hoping to talk to eyewitnesses to verify the report.
He also wants to find out more details like the exact time, date and description of the sighting - thought to have taken place several weeks ago.
That would help him determine what witnesses saw. A variety of known objects such as stars, planets, meteors, or aircraft can be mistaken for UFOs.
Vike learned about the sighting after someone sent him an email telling him that more than 30 people had witnessed two triangular objects in the sky.
"I'm kind of chomping at the bit - all I need is a couple of names and number to get on this," he said from his home base in Houston, B.C. "From what I'm gathering, they're professional people - not just kids."
Vike is intrigued by the possibility that the sighting involves triangular-shaped objects, which are less commonly reported.
There's been a flurry of UFO reports along the Highway 16 corridor lately.
"It's just been non stop for the last little bit," he said, adding he's received eight or nine reports in the past week. "There's something. I don't know if it's military. It's a possibility."
Another recent report from the Terrace area involved a yellow ball of light the size of a basketball spotted over a trailer in Thornhill. It moved low in the air, travelling quickly before pausing above the mountain. "Then it proceeded like a bang," Vike says.
The recent activity suggests Terrace's top ten showing on the 2002 Canada UFO survey may have been no fluke.
The survey counted 25 eyewitness reports from Terrace in 2002, putting us in third place overall, ahead of Houston, B.C., which is in fourth place and even ahead of major metropolitan areas like Toronto and Vancouver.
To reach Vike's UFO hotline, call toll free 1-866-262-1989 or send him an email at hbccufo@telus.net
