The official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land

“It’s a very dangerous thing to believe in nonsense.” — James Randi

Volume 15, Number 4 April 2007

The Mystery of the Stump Pond Monster—Solved?

by Richard Petraitis

E ven though alleged sea serpents have been

spotted by eyewitnesses in Lake Michigan
since the late nineteenth century, Lincoln Land re-
lengths or sizes of animals swimming underwater,
even by trusted observers, have to be treated with ex-
treme caution due to water’s magnifying effects.)
Furthermore, certain fishermen came forth to testify
mains exceptionally devoid of any reported monsters that their boats were bumped by this odd aquatic
swimming inside her interior lakes. beast.
However, there is one notable exception to this So just what was this thing? Could it be that Lin-
dearth of lake monsters in our historic record—the coln Land was once home to a downsized version of
Stump Pond Monster! This “monster” Scotland’s Nessie? Could it have
was documented by cryptozo- been an animal quite famil-
ologists, Loren Coleman iar to naturalists, but
and Patrick Huyghe, which instead had
in their 2003 been misidenti-
work, “Lake fied as a cryp-
Monsters, Sea tid by several
Serpents, and awed locals in
Other Mystery Southern Illi-
Denizens of the nois so long
Deep”. The bi- ago?
zarre case was After studying
further expounded varied accounts of
upon by author, Troy the Illinois lake mon-
Taylor, within the pages ster, focusing in particu-
of “Weird Illinois” published in lar upon the physical descrip-
2005. tions of this underwater creature, I
The freshwater mystery creature is said to have searched for the Stump Pond Monster’s identifiers on
made its presence first known to fishermen who fre- several different websites.
quented Stump Pond near DuQuion, IL, during the In fact, I came upon one fascinating account of a
late 1870s. This baffling lake animal was reputed to freshwater fish known as “the Alligator Gar” which
be almost twelve feet long, based on contemporary matches much of the given eyewitness physical data.
news reports, greenish hue in color and possessed of Besides an alligator shaped head, this species of gar
a thick cylindrical body. (Note: Any estimated is torpedo shaped, grows up to ten feet in length or
more, (sometimes weighing between two to three
In This Issue hundred pounds), possesses powerful jaws with razor
The Mystery of the Stump Pond Monster—Solved? ................ 1
sharp teeth, and as a carnivore hunts other fish.
Responses to Jonathan Wells’s “Ten Questions” ...................... 4 Alligator gar were, and still are, common to
Meetup.com Update .................................................................. 7 (“Stump Pond Monster” continued on page 6)
2 The REALL News April 2007

From the Chairman

Purpose Wally Hartshorn
The Rational Examination Association of Lincoln

S
Land is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) educational and
scientific organization. It is dedicated to the development of pring has sprung! Finally! And with a venge-
rational thinking and the application of the scientific
method toward claims of the paranormal and fringe-science ance! 79 degrees in March? Nice! (That’s 4
phenomena. exclamation marks in 5 sentences. Can you tell I’m
REALL shall conduct research, convene meetings, excited?) With a 2-year-old in the house, cold and
publish a newsletter, and disseminate information to its dark makes for a severe case of cabin fever. When
members and the general public. Its primary geographic the toddler wants to go outside and play with his
region of coverage is central Illinois.
REALL subscribes to the premise that the scientific sand table, the fact that it’s 20 degrees, dark, and
method is the most reliable and self-correcting system for wet doesn’t inevitably lead to “let’s stay inside.”
obtaining knowledge about the world and universe. REALL When does rational thinking show up? I’m guess-
does not reject paranormal claims on a priori grounds, but ing sometime around age 35.
rather is committed to objective, though critical, inquiry.
The REALL News is its official newsletter. March Recap—Icons of Evolution DVD
Annual Membership Rates: Regular, $20; student,
$15; family, $30; patron, $50 or more; subscription only, At our March meeting, we viewed the DVD
$12. Icons of Evolution, based upon the creationist book
of the same name. On page 4 of this issue, you’ll find
Board of Directors responses to the 10 questions that the book’s author,
Chairman......................................... Wally Hartshorn
Vice Chairman ................................ David Bloomberg
Jonathan Wells, encourages students to ask their
Secretary-Treasurer ......................... Jim Rosenthal teachers. These are available from the National Cen-
Newsletter Editor ............................ Clark Olson ter for Science Education (NCSE) at http://www.
At-Large Members .......................... Mike Henebry ncseweb.org/resources/articles/7719_responses_to_
Bob Ladendorf jonathan_wells3_11_28_2001.asp and can be freely
Janet Trutter
redistributed.
The NCSE also provides an extremely detailed
Editorial Board
Clark Olson 64-page response to the book, written by Alan D.
Wally Hartshorn Gishlick, at http://www.ncseweb.org/icons/. The
Jim Rosenthal TalkOrigins Archive provides a 40-page critique,
written by Nick Matzke, at www.talkorigins.org/
Unless otherwise stated, permission is granted to other
skeptic organizations to reprint articles from The REALL
News as long as proper credit is given. REALL also
requests that you send copies of your newsletters that
reprint our articles to the above address.
A Nod to Our Patrons
REALL would like to thank our patron members. Through
The views expressed in these articles are the views of their extra generosity, REALL is able to continue to grow as
the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the a force for critical thinking in Central Illinois. To become a
views of REALL. patron member of REALL, please use the membership form
insert. Patron members are:
REALL Contacts
Chairman, Wally Hartshorn ............ chairman@reall.org Randy & Betsy Alley, Wally Hartshorn,
Editor, Clark Olson ...............................editor@reall.org Edmonds, WA Springfield
Web Sites ................................................. www.reall.org Karen Bartelt, John Lockard, Jr.,
skeptics.meetup.com/134 Washington Urbana
David Bloomberg, Jim Rosenthal,
Springfield Springfield
David Brown, Mark Russillo,
Danville Springfield
Alan Burge, D.D.S., Doug Smith,
Morton Springfield
April 2007 The REALL News 3

faqs/wells/iconob.html. A briefer 4-page response by Reptile collections. Lastly, she worked as a Postdoc-
Zarchary Moore, focusing specifically on the DVD, toral Researcher at the University of Texas at Austin
can be found at http://evolution-101.blogspot. studying frog evolutionary relationships before she
com/2006/09/icons-of-evolution.html. moved to Springfield last September and started
Oh, and if you want to go to the web site of the work at the Illinois State Museum.
book itself, that’s at www.iconsofevolution.com. At the Illinois State Museum Research and Col-
lections Center, she is responsible for the Vertebrate
April Meeting—Dr. Meredith Mahoney collections and the Genetics lab. She is continuing
discusses DNA sequence data and her research on amphibian genetics and evolutionary
Amphibian history relationships and will be starting to work on species
Dr. Meredith J. Mahoney, Assistant Curator of that occur in Illinois this summer.
Zoology at the Illinois State Museum, will be speak-
May—Creationist DVD, Unlocking the
ing at our April 3 meeting about DNA sequence data
and amphibian history. Mystery of Life
Since the development of methods for obtaining Our May 1 meeting will feature another creation-
DNA sequences in the late 1980s, these data have ist video, Unlocking the Mystery of Life. If you at-
played an important role in research on population tended the creationist talk that John Mark Henry
history and evolutionary relationships. Dr. Mahoney gave a few years ago, you saw a few minutes of this
will talk about how DNA sequence data are obtained video near the end of his presentation.
in the lab and present some examples from her own
research on amphibians showing how DNA sequence June—Victor J. Stenger, author of the
information has improved our understanding of these New York Times best seller God: The
animals. Failed Hypothesis
Dr. Mahoney got her Ph.D. at the University of Our June 5 meeting will feature Victor J.
California at Berkeley where she was a graduate stu- Stenger, author of the New York Times best selling
dent in the Department of Integrative Biology and book God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Her dissertation re- Shows that God Does Not Exist. (Does that sound
search was on salamander evolutionary relationships. controversial enough to draw an audience?) Victor
She continued studying salamander relationships as a Stenger has written numerous science books, as well
Postdoctoral Researcher at the American Museum of as articles for skeptical publications. His previous
Natural History in New York City, then returned to book was The Comprehensible Cosmos: Where Do
the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley to the Laws of Physics Come from?, published in Octo-
work as a Curatorial Associate in the Amphibian and ber 2006. I recently purchased both books, but have-
n’t yet read them. Hopefully I’ll have some thoughts
to write here soon.
Please note that this meeting will not be at the
library due to their annual book sale. Instead, we’ll
be meeting at the Route 66 Hotel & Conference Cen-
ter in the Arizona Room. The doors will open at 6:30
(“From the Chairman” continued on page 7)

People may believe correct things for the dam-

ndest and weirdest of wrong reasons.
— Stephen Jay Gould
4 The REALL News April 2007

Responses to Jonathan Wells’s

“Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher”
by the National Center for Science Education
In the book Icons of Evolution, Jonathan Wells, with various combinations of chemicals thought to
makes a series of misleading, inaccurate, and incor- have existed on early Earth. Nearly all of these stud-
rect claims about evolution and how it is presented in ies have produced some of the building blocks of
textbooks. The handout “Ten questions to ask your life. Origin-of-life remains a vigorous area of re-
biology teacher about evolution” is based on that search. Evolutionary theory can work with just about
book. any model of the origin of life on Earth. Therefore,
Both the book and the pamphlet try to cast doubt how life originated is not strictly a question about
on the scientific validity of evolution. This page evolution.
gives a very brief rebuttal to “Ten Questions to Ask ——–

Q
Your Biology Teacher.” For a detailed critical analy-
sis, see Icons of Evolution? Why much of what Darwin’s Tree of Life. Why don’t textbooks
Jonathan Wells writes about evolution is wrong discuss the “Cambrian explosion,” in which
by Alan Gishlick at www.ncseweb.org/icons. See all major animal groups appear together in the fossil
also http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/ record fully formed instead of branching from a
articles/1480_more_reviews_of_iicons_ common ancestor—thus contradicting the evolution-
of_ev_10_31_2002.asp for more reviews of Icons of ary tree of life?

A
Evolution.
Please feel free to copy and dis- Wells is wrong: fish, amphibi-
tribute this document to teachers, ans, reptiles, birds, and mam-
students, parents, and any interested mals all are post-Cambrian—aren’t
parties. these “major groups”? We would
(Wells's questions appear recognize very few of the Cam-
in italics. NCSE's response is brian organisms as “modern”;
given immediately below.) they are in fact at the roots of
——– the tree of life, showing the ear-

Q
liest appearances of some key
Origin of Life. Why do features of groups of animals—
textbooks claim that but not all features and not all
the 1953 Miller-Urey experi- groups. Researchers are linking
ment shows how life's building these Cambrian groups using
blocks may have formed on the not only fossils but also data
early Earth—when conditions on from developmental biology.
the early Earth were probably ——–

Q
nothing like those used in the experi-
ment, and the origin of life remains a Homology. Why do text-
mystery? books define homology as

A
similarity due to common ancestry, then
The 1953 studies by Miller and claim that it is evidence for common ances-
Urey were the first to show that or- try—a circular argument masquerading as
ganic molecules could be produced from very simple scientific evidence?

A
precursors and inputs of energy. Their experimental
apparatus made it possible to investigate the forma- The same anatomical structure (such as a leg
tion of organic compounds under a wide range of or an antenna) in two species may be similar
conditions. Numerous studies have been conducted because it was inherited from a common ancestor
April 2007 The REALL News 5

(homology) or because of similar adaptive pressure works. Archaeopteryx (and other feathered fossils)
(convergence). Homology of structures across spe- shows how a branch of reptiles gradually acquired
cies is not assumed, but tested by the repeated com- both the unique anatomy and flying adaptations
parison of numerous features that do or do not sort found in all modern birds. It is a transitional fossil in
into successive clusters. Homology is used to test hy- that it shows both reptile ancestry and bird speciali-
potheses of degrees of relatedness. Homology is not zations. Wells’s claim that “supposed ancestors” are
“evidence” for common ancestry: common ancestry younger than Archaeopteryx is false. These fossils
is inferred based on many sources of information, are not ancestors but relatives of Archaeopteryx and,
and reinforced by the patterns of similarity and dis- as everyone knows, your uncle can be younger than
similarity of anatomical structures. you!
——– ——–

Q Vertebrate Embryos. Why do textbooks use

drawings of similarities in vertebrate embryos
as evidence for their common ancestry—even though
Q Peppered Moths. Why do textbooks use pic-
tures of peppered moths camouflaged on tree
trunks as evidence for natural selection—when bi-
biologists have known for over a century that verte- ologists have known since the 1980s that the moths
brate embryos are not most similar in their early don’t normally rest on tree trunks, and all the pic-
stages, and the drawings are faked? tures have been staged?

A Twentieth-century and current embryo-

logical research confirms
that early stages (if not the earli-
A These pictures are illustrations
used to demonstrate a point—
the advantage of protective coloration to
est) of vertebrate embryos are more reduce the danger of pre-
similar than later ones; the more re- dation. The pictures
cently species shared a common an- are not the scientific
cestor, the more similar their em- evidence used to
bryological development. Thus prove the point in the
cows and rabbits—mammals—are first place. Compare this
more similar in their embryological illustration to the well-known re-enactments of the
development than either is to alliga- Battle of Gettysburg. Does the fact that these re-
tors. Cows and antelopes are more similar enactments are staged prove that the battle never
in their embryology than either is to rabbits, happened? The peppered moth photos are the same
and so on. The union of evolution and developmental sort of illustration, not scientific evidence for natural
biology—“evo-devo”—is one of the most rapidly selection.
growing biological fields. “Faked” drawings are not ——–

Q
relied upon: there has been plenty of research in de-
velopmental biology since Haeckel—and in fact, Darwin’s Finches. Why do textbooks claim
hardly any textbooks feature Haeckel’s drawings, as that beak changes in Galapagos finches dur-
claimed. ing a severe drought can explain the origin of spe-
——– cies by natural selection—even though the changes

Q
were reversed after the drought ended, and no net
Archaeopteryx. Why do textbooks portray this evolution occurred?

A
fossil as the missing link between dinosaurs
and modern birds—even though modern birds are Textbooks present the finch data to illustrate
probably not descended from it, and its supposed an- natural selection: that populations change
cestors do not appear until millions of years after it? their physical features in response to changes in the

A
environment. The finch studies carefully—
The notion of a “missing link” is an out-of- exquisitely—documented how the physical features
date misconception about how evolution of an organism can affect its success in reproduction
6 The REALL News April 2007

and survival, and that such changes can take place about which there is considerable agreement, even if
more quickly than was realized. That new species did new discoveries continually add to the complexity of
not arise within the duration of the study hardly chal- the account. The notion that such drawings are used
lenges evolution! to "justify materialistic claims" is ludicrous and not
——– borne out by an examination of textbook treatments

Q
of human evolution.
Mutant Fruit Flies. Why do textbooks use fruit ——–

Q
flies with an extra pair of wings as evidence
that DNA mutations can supply raw materials for Evolution a Fact? Why are we told that Dar-
evolution—even though the extra wings have no mus- win’s theory of evolution is a scientific fact—
cles and these disabled mutants cannot survive out- even though many of its claims are based on misrep-
side the laboratory? resentations of the facts?

A In the very few textbooks that discuss four-

winged fruit flies, they are used as an illustra-
tion of how genes can reprogram parts of the body to
A What does Wells mean by “Darwin’s theory of
evolution”? In the last century, some of what
Darwin originally proposed has been augmented by
produce novel structures, thus indeed providing “raw more modern scientific understanding of inheritance
material” for evolution. This type of mutation pro- (genetics), development, and other processes that af-
duces new structures that become available for fur- fect evolution. What remains unchanged is that simi-
ther experimentation and potential new uses. Even if larities and differences among living things on Earth
not every mutation leads to a new evolutionary path- over time and space display a pattern that is best ex-
way, the flies are a vivid example of one way muta- plained by evolutionary theory. Wells’s “10 Ques-
tion can provide variation for natural selection to tions” fails to demonstrate a pattern of evolutionary
work on. biologists’ “misrepresenting the facts.”
——– ——–

Q
The National Center for Science Education is a
Human Origins. Why are artists’ drawings of nonprofit organization, based in Oakland, Califor-
ape-like humans used to justify materialistic nia, dedicated to defending the teaching of evolution
claims that we are just animals and our existence is in the public schools. For more information, visit us
a mere accident—when fossil experts cannot even on the web at www.ncseweb.org or call 510-601-
agree on who our supposed ancestors were or what 7203.
they looked like?

A
http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/4412_responses_to_
Drawings of humans and our ancestors illus- jonathan_wells3_11_28_2001.asp

trate the general outline of human ancestry,

(“Stump Pond Monster” continued from page 1) References

Southern Illinois, (the region of our state were Du- 1. Coleman, Loren and Patrick Huyghe. Lake Mon-
Quion is located), and they are found throughout the sters, Sea Serpents, and Other Denizens of the
Mississippi Basin. They are primarily ambush hunt- Deep. New York: Penguin Press. 2003. Pgs. 257-
ers that float like logs under the water’s surface and 258
strike prey animals that venture too close to them. In 2. Taylor, Troy. Weird Illinois. New York: Sterling
fact, these hungry predators even eat water fowl! The Publishing Company. 2005. Pg. 93
alligator gar doesn’t attack humans, but has on ex- 3. Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural
tremely rare occasions, bitten the unwary. History. Biological Profiles, “Alligator Gar.” Ac-
I believe that it was this extremely large fish cessed on 09/21/2006 at http://www.flmnh.ufl.
which was responsible, through the years, for many e d u / f i s h / G a l l e r y/ D e s c r i p t / A l l i g a t o r G a r /
eyewitness reports of an Illinois lake monster. Mys- AlligatorGar.html

tery solved?
April 2007 The REALL News 7

Meetup.com Plug Update

by Wally Hartshorn

H ave you registered on

REALL’s Meetup.com
web site yet? If you haven’t, please
do so! It’s a simple way to stay in-
volved with the group between
meetings.
The web site lets you:
• get the latest information about
what we have planned for future
meetings;
• RSVP to let us know whether
you’ll be able to make it;
• See who else will be there;
• See who showed up at earlier
meetings;
• Exchange messages with other
members;
• Download flyers which can be used to publicize its.
the group; (Oh, the other two characters in that photo are
• View photos from previous meetings. former REALL chairman and co-founder David
Speaking of photos, check out this blast from the Bloomberg on the left and REALL’s current Secre-
past! This photo was taken in August 2001 at the tary-Treasurer Jim Rosenthal.)
presentation by Massimo Polidoro, co-founder and So visit http://skeptics.meetup.com/134/ today,
Executive Director of the Italian Committee for the where you can see… more stuff like that. Yeah, I
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. His pres- know, but visit anyway. Then register and get in-
entation was Houdini: A Magician Among the Spir- volved. We promise not to spam you too much.

(“From the Chairman” continued from page 3) This is central Illinois, so of course it will be hot!
and his presentation will begin at 7:00. I’m not sure Clark Olson told me that he knows one of the people
how many people we’ll have, but you might want to that was recently trained by Al Gore to give his pres-
show up early, just in case. Stay tuned for details! entation on global warming. August sounds like a
perfect month to talk about it. (Maybe we’ll feel cool
July—Picnic and Friday the 13th Su- in comparison.) We’ll have to find out whether he’s
perstition Bash? available and willing, but if he is, we’ll try to get him
Normally we have our annual picnic in June, due to give his presentation for us.
to the library being unavailable that month. This One thing that I’ve noticed recently that I’ve
year, since we will be having a meeting in June, found particularly puzzling is that much of the oppo-
we’ll have our annual picnic in July—which happens sition to global warming seems to come from those
to have a Friday the 13th! So, our tentative plan is to who are very religious. The connection between the
hold a Friday the 13th Superstition Bash/Picnic at two isn’t obvious to me. I’ll have to look into this
Jim Rosenthal’s house, where we can all admire his some more.
brand new deck. Stay tuned for details! In the meantime, get out and enjoy this pleasant
springtime weather (except for Tuesday night, when
August—Global Warming? I want to see you in the library at our meeting).

No, I’m not asking whether August will be hot:
8 The REALL News April 2007

Our Next Meeting

DNA sequence data and Amphibian history
Presented by Dr. Meredith J. Mahoney,
Assistant Curator of Zoology at the Illinois State Museum

Since the development of methods for obtaining DNA sequences in the late 1980s,
these data have played an important role in research on population history and
evolutionary relationships. Dr. Mahoney will talk about how DNA sequence data are
obtained in the lab and present some examples from her own research on amphibians
showing how DNA sequence information has improved our understanding of these
animals.

Springfield, Illinois
www.reall.org
Lincoln Library (7th & Capitol) Free and Open
skeptics.meetup.com/134 Tuesday, April 3, 7:00 PM to the Public

Meetup.com Update .................................................................. 7

Responses to Jonathan Wells’s “Ten Questions” ...................... 4
The Mystery of the Stump Pond Monster—Solved? ................ 1
In This Issue

Springfield IL 62708
P.O. Box 20302
of Lincoln Land (REALL)
Rational Examination Association