WENDELL— The treasure hunter who found the Project Skydrop treasure has been revealed.

Dan Leonard, a Boston meteorologist, has come forward and named himself as the anonymous treasure hunter who found the gold statue in Wendell State Forest earlier this week.

Project Skydrop is a unique treasure hunt that has taken the internet by storm. New Hampshire video game designer Jason Rohrer and creative partner sought to create “the world’s greatest treasure hunt” by dropping a four-inch-tall golden statue somewhere in the woods of the northeastern United States. The only clue to it’s location: a shrinking circle on a map.

In the week and a half the hunt was live, over 9,ooo treasure hunters signed up for exclusive hints in the form of aerial photos of the location. By Tuesday evening the hunt was over, and found by a treasure hunter, who at the time said he intended to remain anonymous.

Leonard, who works for WCVB NewsCenter5, said he found the treasure through his meteorological skills. Leonard is a senior meteorologist at The Weather Company in Andover.

He was met on the trail by Erving couple Jon and Liz Flis, who said they clapped for him when he emerged from the woods holding the statue. They said he told them he found the treasure by using maps of beech trees on public land in the area and following cloud movements and temperature data seen on the live trail cam.

While Leonard has found the treasure, he has not yet claimed the cash prize, Rohrer said. First, Leonard must solve the puzzle etched into the statue and figure out the Bitcoin wallet passkey.

Rohrer said on Thursday he traveled back Wendell State Forest and met Leonard, who either did not watch the game introduction video or read the FAQ page on the website closely enough, because he was unaware that the symbols etched into the trophy are actually a secret 12-word phrase that must be decoded in order to claim the money.

He added that since Leonard has shown the trophy around there is a chance someone may be able to solve the puzzle and beat him to the prize.

“There’s a chance someone could steal the bounty from out under him,” Rohrer said.

Whats next for Project Skydrop?

A second place prize is being offered. The first 20 hunters who can find the location and submit the accurate GPS coordinates to the game’s website will win $100.

Rohrer said that dozens of people have found the location in the past two days since the treasure was found and that he has hundred of hours of footage of people and porcupines checking out the treasure to go through, and hopes to eventually put together a highlight reel of the hunt.

He is open to the idea of planning another treasure hunt, but not at this time. He wants to relax and decompress, and catch up on the hundreds of emails he has received throughout the process before working on another treasure hunt.

“The last chapter hasn’t been written yet,” Rohrer said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com