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 Even as a little boy, Cliff was very interested in monsters, particularly bigfoot. His favorite television show was “In Search Of” and other shows probing the unknown. He would spend hours in the public library looking through books on the subject, and every year he would camp with his family and think about the possibilities of seeing one of the elusive creatures.
It was in college that Cliff's interest in bigfoot moved from a quirky interest to an obsession. Having a sizable break between classes, Cliff started spending time in the college library reading books on his various interests. One day, he ran across Manlike Monsters on Trial by Marjorie Halpin and Michael M. Ames. That book, which is a collection on scientific papers presented on the subject at a conference in 1978, changed Cliff's paradigm about bigfoot. After reading the book in its entirety, he realized that not only was bigfoot interesting because of its campy flavor, but it might actually be a real, biological creature.
Cliff had been an avid camper all his life, but around this time he started camping with the singular purpose of doing bigfoot research. On his first expedition to Bluff Creek, CA in 1994, he stumbled across possible bigfoot footprints, as well as tree damage evidence and a possible hair sample.
The first several years of Cliff's research were spent familiarizing himself with the literature, which provided a solid base of knowledge on the subject, as well as a focus for when he is in the field. At some point, he was contacted by Kathy Moskowitz-Strain and invited to a field technique seminar where he met several notable figures in bigfoot research. It was clear that Cliff already had extensive field experience, so soon thereafter he was invited to be a member of the BFRO by Kathy. Cliff continued to assist the BFRO with their efforts for many years, both doing investigations and running public expeditions, until focusing his efforts on his own projects. He continues to work very closely with the BFRO and its members to this day.
In the meantime, Kathy Moskowitz-Strain formed her own non-profit group, the Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers (AIBR). Kathy rounded up many of the continent's most active researchers and enthusiasts for membership, and included Cliff in its earliest incarnation. While Cliff prefers to not take leadership or bureaucratic roles in organizations, he often consults with members of the AIBR in their own research.
Cliff's interest in physical evidence led him to take a keen interest in footprint casts. Over the years, what started out as the gathering of a few bigfoot souvenirs has eventually led him to holding one of the largest cast collections in the country. Believing strongly in the idea of peer review and scientific analysis, Cliff has started to make his collection of footprint casts and photographs online for public scrutiny. He continues to hunt down footprint casts and photographs that have not been properly documented, sometimes finding original casts that have never been examined at all.
Continuing his research, Cliff spends his time working on investigations like his analysis of the Silver Star Mountain photographs, speaking at public bigfoot conferences, or doing nighttime investigations in the field. He utilizes computer technology, night vision units, and thermal imagers in his quest for documentation. His ultimate goal is to educate the public and to soften the blow of discovery of the species.
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