Nonprofits celebrate raising $10 million to preserve the forest where Big Bear bald eagles live and fly

The whole idea was a long shot.

Back in February, the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust, a land conservancy, had set out to purchase land along the north shore of Big Bear Lake in Fawnskin to prevent a home development project known as Moon Camp. Less than a mile away from the 50-home development stood the nesting grounds of two bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow.

Read more Galaxy remain in search of first win and consistency since MLS restart

The avian pair attained worldwide celebrity, thanks to two nonstop live streams operated by the environmental nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley.

The Moon Camp project, first proposed in 1969, spans 62.43 acres and is divided into 58 lots: 50 numbered residential lots, eight lettered lots for conservation areas and well sites, and a marina with 55 boat slips. The proposed homes would overlook Big Bear Lake. The San Bernardino Conservancy and Friends nonprofit contend that the development would have devastating impacts on the local ecosystem and wildlife – including the beloved Jackie and Shadow.

So, an agreement was reached.

The Chicago-based RCK Properties – the land developer – agreed to sell the land to the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust permanently, protecting nearly 63 acres of wildlife, for $10 million. FBBV credits much of the deal to its late executive director, Sandy Steers, who died in February. A fundraiser began soon after Steers’ death, with a July 31 deadline.

As the days closed in, nearly $5 million was raised in the form of small donations. A significant accomplishment, but not enough to purchase the land outright.

Seven days before the deadline, a $5.5 million windfall brought the SBMLT to the finish line. The clutch contribution was made by OpenAI tech billionaire Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna.

Escrow closed on Wednesday, according to Jennifer Voisard, the Friends of Big Bear Valley’s media and website manager.

The impending “July 31” deadline now has breathed new life into the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust and Friends of Big Bear Valley. On Friday, the day that $10 million was due, a small gathering consisting of the SBMTL and FBBV team and board members met for a quiet celebration at home near the former housing development.

“It’s really hard to preserve land. It’s hard to save trees. It’s hard to do the right thing, and it takes community, and it takes people that care, and it takes all of us together,” said Voisard through tears to the group.

Now that Moon Camp belongs to the San Bernardino Mountain Land Trust, the group plans light‑touch stewardship — mostly leaving the forest alone while performing required brush clearing and cleanup — to keep it a public gateway into the national forest and a safe wildlife corridor for Jackie and Shadow and hundreds of other species, said Voisard.

Next, they hope to leverage this victory to preserve neighboring parcels, effectively locking in what’s left of the lake’s north‑shore habitat.

Craig Carpenter, who performs secretarial duties for the San Bernardino Mountain Land Trust, said that before the conservancy reached its fundraising goal, it had discussed other “plan B” options, including a payment plan.

Read more George Santos agrees to $35,000 settlement in federal probe over Kalshi trades

“We were glad we never had to entertain any of them,” Carpenter said.

What stood out to the San Bernardino conservancy was the power of small donations.

“It’s extraordinary,” Carpenter began, “It’s an incredible achievement for everyone. A huge amount of the donations were small donations that came in with handwritten things, people drawing pictures of Jackie and Shadow, talking about why they wanted this (land) saved,” he said.

Voisard said that during the fundraising period, over 14,000 students submitted letters of support along with photos and drawings.

Those numbers probably aren’t surprising to the Jackie and Shadow community.

The live nest camera has gained global popularity. The Friends of Big Bear Valley has approximately 2.4 million social media followers, with over 1 million on its main Facebook page and close to 400,000 in a private Facebook group. Each social media post rakes in thousands of comments, likes and shares.

Broadcasting the daily lives of bald eagles was also part of Steers’ vision for environmental awareness.

“Protecting and conserving Jackie and Shadow’s unique and irreplaceable habitat through monitoring, education and advocacy and also helping humans connect with nature,” Steers said by email in January.

Through tears, Voisard recognized Steers with a toast.

“I just want to say thank you to Sandy Steers for turning a local cause into a global movement,” Voisard said.

A glass was also raised to Jackie, who, less than two weeks ago, was found grounded for hours after a fight with two young adult eagles, and has been receiving medical treatment — including oxygen therapy — at the Ojai Raptor Center.

On Wednesday, July 29, the center announced Jackie had left its intensive care unit, though the reason behind her ailing health still remains unknown.

Ojai said it suspects that Jackie was ill even before her rescue.

In a Friday afternoon update, Ojai said that Jackie’s blood work still shows anemia and an elevated white blood cell count, “which tells us her body is responding to inflammation, stress or a possible infection,” said Chris Eksteen, executive director of the Ventura County-based rescue center.

Barely able to get the words out, Voisard said, “I hope that Jackie comes home because we have your Moon Camp ready.”

Read more From ONT boosters to Chinese-language media, the four men tied to this week’s FBI searches