Western New York is among the top four of nine New York State regions in terms of UFO/UAP sightings. From 2001 to 2015, the region reported 579 UFO/UAP sightings — or 11.26 percent of New York State’s 5,041 sightings for the same period.
Chautauqua and Erie counties reported slightly over 400 of the UFO/UAP sightings. Most of these are attributed to phenomena often called the “Lake Erie Effect.” It is well known in UFO/UAP research circles that all the region’s land masses that border Lake Erie traditionally report large numbers of UFO/UAP sightings year after year.
Niagara county, while not on Lake Erie, does border Lake Ontario, which recent research has suggested might be sporting its own mysterious UFO/UAP sighting phenomena, dare we call it the “Lake Ontario Effect”? Next week, when we examine the Western Finger Lakes, perhaps we can delve in to the topic much deeper. Cattaraugus, Allegany and Wyoming counties are known for their lovely foot hills and beautiful forests. All three counties, while populated, are among some of New York’s most sparsely populated areas.
UFO/UAP researchers are familiar with the fact that sighting reports tend to follow population concentrations. 2010 population numbers for the three counties tally as follows: Cattaraugus, 80,229; Allegany, 48,943; and Wyoming, 42,129. As opposed to the Western counties, which report larger populations: Chautauqua, 134,768; Erie, 918,652; and Niagara, 216,546. When it comes to the population question, researchers say it is one of two things: more people to see the UFOs/UAPs or more UFOs/UAPs because there are more people.
Let’s take a look at some recent UFO/UAP sightings in New York Skies:
July 3, 2016: At 10 p.m., a resident of Herkimer reported a bright disc-shaped UFO over Herkimer.
July 4, 2016: At midnight, a resident of Syracuse observed two stationary orange disc-shaped objects flying in an irregular formation.
July 4, 2016: At 9 p.m., two residents of St. James saw two dark red, round objects flying in the local skies.
July 7, 2016: At 4:15 p.m., a resident of Hicksville reported seeing two large, silver and red discs fly overhead.
If you are interested in joining a monthly UFO discussion group in the Onondaga County area, drop Cheryl an email [email protected]. If you have a UFO sighting to report, you can use either one of the two national database services: nuforc.org or mufon.com. Both services respect confidentiality.
Cheryl Costa would love to hear the when, where and what of your New York sighting. Email it to [email protected]. The names of witnesses will be omitted to protect their privacy.