The Next Generation is Here - Welcome to the CFZ's NGI

I would like to welcome everyone to the blog of the Centre for Fortean Zoology's Next Generation Initiative. The NGI is the brainchild of Colin Schneider and Jonathan Downes, director of the CFZ. Since this is the first post on the new NGI blog, I thought I would take some time to introduce the CFZ, the NGI, and tell readers a little bit about who we are and what we will be doing.

ABOUT THE CFZ

The Centre for Fortean Zoology was founded by Jon Downes in 1992. On the CFZ website, Jon explains how it came to be:

"I've been interested in this stuff all my life. My interest probably started when I was a little boy. I was brought up in Hong Kong surrounded by all sorts of weird and wonderful animals anyway. Every week my mother used to get me library books and one week when I was about seven years old she got me a book called 'Myth or Monster' which introduced me to the wonderful concept that there were real monsters like the Yeti, the Loch Ness monster and sea serpents in the world around us. I was immediately hooked and I've been interested in cryptozoology ever since."

In 1992, Jon founded the Centre for Fortean Zoology to study cryptozoological subjects, and 'zooform' subjects as well. Since then, it has gone on to become the top organization devoted full-time to cryptozoology in the world.

The CFZ also runs a publishing company and have published many books on cryptozoology and fortean subjects over the years. CFZ books can be found online here.

The group publishes a journal called Animals and Men, which publishes articles on cryptozoology and the most recent discoveries within the zoological field. The latest issues of Animals and Men, which has been appearing since 1994, can always be found online here. The group also sends out a monthly online newsletter to members. Details on the newsletter can be found on the CFZ website.

Currently, the CFZ has partnered with video game developer Capcom to offer £50,000 to anyone who can bring in conclusive proof of Bigfoot, a Loch Ness monster, owl man, or several other Cryptids. This continues until the end of June 2018.

THE NEXT GENERATION INITIATIVE

The CFZ's Next Generation Initiative (NGI) was created in early 2018 by Colin Schneider and Jon Downes. The goal of the NGI is to have a group where teenagers and younger kids who are interested in the subject of cryptozoology can come together to discuss and learn about the topic. We hope that the NGI can help many interested persons get more involved in the subject and connect with others their own age who are as well.

DIRECTORS

Colin Schneider

Colin Schneider is one of the world's youngest active cryptozoologists at 17 years old. Colin became interested in the subject after seeing the show MonsterQuest on the History Channel. He has been involved in research since 2013 when he visited the International Cryptozoology Museum, located in Portland, Maine, and met world-famous cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. Colin frequently attends events related to cryptozoology and is a frequent speaker as well; in September 2018 he will be speaking at the Mothman Festival in West Virginia. He has been involved with the CFZ for five years.

Each Monday night at 8 PM EST Colin hosts his podcast Crypto-Kid on WCJV Radio. He and his guests discuss many aspects of cryptozoology on his show. He also runs his Crypto-Kid blog, which can be found here.  He is also currently working on a book on cryptid predators and commonly writes for Cryptid Culture Magazine.

Colin will be running the social media side of the NGI. He can be contacted at paranormal10142@gmail.com.

Tyler Houck

The guy writing this post. I'm 17 just like Colin.

I have been interested in cryptozoology since 2009 when I happened to read Jeanne Bendick's 1976 book The Mystery of the Loch Ness Monster after I checked it out from the school library. This sparked my interest in the subject that continues to this day. Since reading that book I have collected over 200 books concerning cryptozoology and related topics and have even been called a "cryptozoology historian."

I started to become active in the field in 2014 after I went to a couple Bigfoot-related events and have been since. That year I also started my blog Tyler's Cryptozoo where I write about what I'm doing and goings-on in the field.  In 2015, I published my book Cryptid U.S., which covers sightings of mystery creatures throughout America. The CFZ is currently working on publishing my second book, The Ohio Monster Guidebook. I also write for Cryptid Culture Magazine and am working on a book on Globsters, mysterious "sea monster" carcasses found throughout the world.

If anyone wants to contact me about getting involved, shoot me an email at thouck8500&gmail.com.

ABOUT THIS BLOG

The NGI is for young people interested in cryptozoology. Colin will be running the social media side of things, which I will link to once it is up, and this blog will be the place for updates about my work with the NGI. There will be posts about what I am doing in the field, updates on cryptozoology, animal discoveries, and advice to those who are getting involved in the subject.

We hope that the NGI will be a great resource for kids and teenagers getting interested in cryptozoology. When Colin and I both started, there was nothing like this out there for us to connect to, so things were a little more difficult. We hope this can help the next generation get involved in the field and find answers!