How might one learn about the people that live alongside a creature that may not even exist? The mere potential of a lake-monster's existence in itself affects everyone who lives near the lake. Volunteering to join scientific underwater search expeditions would certainly be one way. So would volunteering for tourism bureaus. Perhaps the best way would be to don a costume and dance in a local festival. These lake-town venues are not typical sites of academic research; therein lays the charm and the challenge. There really is no other way to study the riddle of lake-monster culture except to be serious about not being serious. In order to ultimately understand lake-monster culture, the traveler must simultaneously indulge his imagination and humor, yet take it all in with a scholarly mind.

Before I attended college, I lived on the New York side of Lake Champlain, where a lake-monster permeates the local identity. I have read what others think about Champy, and it does not match the reality that I lived as a child. To me, Champy is not about some chance picnic photo (potentially forged) from 1977. The mystery of Champy seeps into the local art of the Adirondacks, becomes the icon of town parades, and in its own strange fashion is transformed into an emblem of local pride. These are the true sources of lake-monster culture.

During college, I considered flying to Scotland to visit Loch Ness, but this proved impractical and expensive. As consolation, I watched the documentary, NOVA: Beast of Loch Ness (1999). Unfortunately, this television program values only the scientific pursuit of the lake-monster. No mention was made of the outlying community. Instead it progressed like a science-fiction drama. Though entertaining, the film proved to me that while it is possible to learn about some things from afar through movies, textbooks, and web pages, lake-monster culture is not one of them. After months of digging through books and videos and websites, I've discovered that the cultural perspective is entirely unpublished. Then again, the authoritative style of narrated video documentaries and history texts is not the ideal way to approach the subject. I would like to create an interactive multimedia Flash website to express the melange of lake-monster communities. The explorative nature of an interactive website will attract the audience that is fascinated by the subject. In addition, this medium of expression is one that I am most skilled with.

Although most people have heard only of Loch Ness, over 300 lakes worldwide have recorded histories of lake-monsters. A little-known fact is that while the Loch Ness Monster is globally the most well known, its resurgent popularity is primarily due to a journalist who, inspired by an alleged Canadian lake-monster, staged a fake sighting in 1933. Almost seventy years later, the Canadian monster is hardly spoken of, while Loch Ness attracts the dominant share of the world's attention. In fact, until 1933, many lakes worldwide had earned greater reputations than Loch Ness. I suspect that a global bias exists towards Western events, and that the popularity of the Loch Ness monster is due largely to its proximity to London - and, by extension, the Western urban academic world. This is why I cannot simply visit Loch Ness, but instead embark upon a comparative study of lake-monster culture on a global level.

In fact, I believe that the most rewarding visiting sequence would proceed in reverse order of global recognition. I would like to begin with the Canadian lake-monster known as Ogopogo, move south to witness the effects of Nahuelito in Argentina, then to Mamlambo in South Africa, next over to Darwin, Australia to explore the Bunyips phenomenon, next up to Storsjöodjuret of Sweden, and finally, to Scotland's Loch Ness monster. This schedule will allow me to explore cultural identities progressively, with a relatively unbiased viewpoint. Also, since the middle countries are in the southern hemisphere, this sequence also allows me to visit each location during summer, when most sightings occur and when cultural awareness and festivals are most prevalent.

There are general methods that should prove useful in each of these locations. I will interview the local community and share photographs of my experiences thus far. Also, I must not ignore the youth. A teacher from my hometown has offered drawings of Champy from her elementary school classes. I hope to share and collect local drawings as I move along, both to witness how local mythology is passed to children and also to share a bit of my hometown as I travel. Also in this spirit, I want to participate in local festivals and parades and share in the celebrations. If the local community does not have any celebrations, I would like to create one and watch the community's response. In each of the locations I am visiting, the lake-monster legends existed before their current residents, and are often adapted versions of indigenous myths. For this reason, I will interview residents of a wide array of generations and ethnicity. These are some of the methods that I will undertake throughout the project, but because each location is quite differentiable to the next, I will also use a distinct approach for each.

The significantly advertised lake-monster of Lake Okanagan, nearby Kelowna, British Columbia, is a popular stop for cross-country roadtrips and news crews from around the world. The Okanagan Similkameen Tourist Association now offers one million dollars for the successful capture of Ogopogo, its local lake monster. How has this tourism factor shaped the identity of this community? Does commercial interest stimulate the attention given to Ogopogo, or is community pride the dominant cause? To try to understand the perspective of the tourism industry, I will volunteer my services to the tourism offices of the nearby towns of Kelowna and Penticton. My three-year background in graphic design should be of use for marketing and poster campaigns. In this way I will begin to learn how a legend can be sold, something that varies significantly among my six selections.

Meanwhile, in the Patagonia, a lake-monster named Nahuelito, continues to make waves in South America. Visiting Bariloche, Argentina will challenge me to learn how to communicate with those who speak an unfamiliar language. Eyewitnesses often declare that it bears no head or legs. Some speculate that it isn't a lake-monster at all but rather a military submarine. I wonder why a centuries-old local legend has evolved to a more contemporary explanation. Among other activities, I will volunteer at local fishing companies, for I expect this to be an avenue to fruitful conversations.

Just across the Atlantic Ocean, I'm intrigued not by a lake-monster but by a vicious river-stalking monster, the Mamlambo (Brain Sucker) of South Africa. I believe that the legend may tell as much about racial perceptions as it does about monster mythology. How has the legend been affected by Apartheid? In 1997, a respectable Johannesburg newspaper declared that the monster was responsible for the deaths of 9 people on the Mzintlava River. This seems like a fascinating event to explore. The violent nature of Mamlambo means that tourism is not significant in this location, so I intend to emphasize cultural studies here. For instance, I want to interview residents on the river and compare their memories of the tragic event to those of urban Johannesburg.

Funds permitting, I hope to spend the next month of my project in Darwin, Australia. Here, I can explore the difference between a living legend and a legend of the past. According to aboriginal mythology, a fearsome terrestrial creature once stalked the billabongs of southeastern Australia, preying on those who sought water. "Bunyips" are nowhere to be seen today except in a wide range of children's literature, aboriginal artwork, and mythology. Many of these artists and authors reside nearby the city of Darwin, which is also a regular venue for festivals. By exploring this subject, I will witness how monster-culture changes once it is widely accepted as a thing of the past.

In Sweden, the great serpent of Storsjöodjuret regularly disturbs the waters of Lake Storsjön and other nearby lakes. What makes this lake-monster distinctly Scandinavian? Is there a reason that this lake-monster's presence is celebrated within its local community and is yet relatively unknown outside of Sweden? While there, I will investigate the importance of preserving local mythology (as opposed to the more global mythology of Loch Ness). While I do not speak Swedish, English is spoken adequately in Sweden, to a level that will challenge my communication skills but should allow for meaningful interviews. There is a good deal of lake-monster pride in nearby Östersund, where the county museum, Jamtli, displays a half-hour video on the importance of the lake-monster to local culture. I want to work in the museum and local chamber of commerce, which are designing tourist watchtowers around the perimeter of the lake.

Finally, I will visit the world-renowned Loch Ness monster. Its consistent eyewitness accounts and its global reputation perpetuate the mystery of the highlands of Scotland. I wonder what benefits and burdens fame has brought this rural area. Do the residents enjoy the attention? Does this monster deserve its wide reputation, or is this due more to its location within the United Kingdom? At Loch Ness, more than at other lakes, I will have the opportunity to mingle with other cryptozoologists and share in their scientific pursuit to prove or disprove Nessie. My own mathematical and scientific background might be of help. As part of my participation, I plan to learn scuba diving and to challenge my fear of water by joining an underwater expedition. Although my inclinations in this project are particularly cultural, I admit that cryptozoologists are themselves a significant part of the culture. I am curious why searching for monsters is their passion, and I believe that sharing in their efforts will help to understand that.

My ultimate goal is to explore these locations comparatively. I am excited for the opportunity to understand what living with the legend of a lake-monster is like to the rest of the world. Already, I know that the people of each area incorporate the lake-monster into their lives for many reasons. To some of them, a lake-monster symbolizes the ultimate scientific challenge; to others it is an important source of income; and for others it is a source of identity and pride. It is this mixture of science, commercialism, and cultural identity that I intend to share in my web presentation of text, digital photography, and digital video.