A $10M fundraiser could save the land around Big Bear's bald eagle nest. It's halfway over

The fundraiser led by environmental organizations to buy land in Big Bear Valley to prevent construction of a planned housing project not far from Jackie and Shadow's famous bald eagle nest is about halfway over but has so far raised roughly a quarter of its $10 million goal.

Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust are trying to raise the money by the end of July to purchase more than 62 acres of land pegged for Moon Camp.

Some people say the project, slated to include 50 lots for custom homes and a marina with 55 boat slips, would harm rare plants and wildlife in the area. That includes the resident bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, and their young eaglets Sandy and Luna, who nest less than a mile away.

The organizations instead want the land to be placed under a permanent conservatorship.

The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser, which officials have said is the most ambitious effort in Friends of Big Bear Valley history, has raised more than $2.5 million as of Wednesday.

Jenny Voisard, the nonprofit’s media manager, told LAist that the money has mostly come through small donations from thousands of loyal fans around the world.

She said Friends of Big Bear Valley is “deeply grateful” for the love and support the community has shown since the fundraiser launched in February. She described the donations as an “investment in conservation and humanity.”

“What happens with California's biodiversity is important to every one of us on this planet, and you are all helping to take care of that,” Voisard said. “Biodiversity is responsible for the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and the medicine we take. And you're all heroes.”

How the fundraiser is faring

Voisard said she’s been struck and brought to tears by how personal the fundraiser has become to people.

Some fans have been donating monthly, every payday or with their morning latte money. Others have been writing letters to news outlets, institutions, government officials and “anybody that will listen,” she said.

Friends of Big Bear Valley’s eagle livestream has become a popular fixture in classrooms, and a few elementary schools have organized their own fundraisers to support “Save Moon Camp.”

A third grade class at Wildwood Elementary in Yucaipa, for example, pooled together $373 for the fundraiser, Voisard said. Another elementary school in Connecticut sent a little more than $970.

“This is our next generation of environmental caretakers and stewards, and so that's why this is so important,” she said. “We need to raise the money, and it's not about the amounts. It's that they believe in what we're doing and that it's worth saving.”

Larger gifts have also been rolling in.

There have been a few $50,000 donations, an anonymous donation of $77,000 and a $20,000 gift sent along with a handwritten letter. Voisard said Friends of Big Bear Valley is actively reaching out to philanthropists and tribal councils to garner their support as well.

You can learn more about the fundraiser and track its progress at SaveMoonCamp.org.

Addressing common questions

If the groups don’t raise $10 million by July 31, Friends of Big Bear Valley has a backup plan.

Voisard said there’s a financing option that would allow the groups to purchase the land — but with quarterly payments and a high interest rate. She acknowledged that would be “difficult” and require longer-term fundraising, but it’s an option.

The eventual goal is to have the acres be protected under the U.S. Forest Service, but some people have expressed concerns about the state of the agency under President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has recently taken steps toward a sweeping agency overhaul, including moving the headquarters out of Washington, D.C., and closing research facilities in 31 states, including California. The Forest Service lost more than 5,800 employees last year, or about 16% of its workforce, amid Trump’s push to cut federal spending, according to the New York Times.

But the land transfer process would take years, and Voisard said a different administration would be in charge by then.

“This land will also have special protected status, so that we don't go through all of this for nothing,” she said.

The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is no stranger to the preservation process. It has helped conserve more than 15,000 acres of land in the San Bernardino National Forest since it was founded in 1995, according to the organization.

Moon Camp concerns from the community

T.J. Fraser moved to Big Bear Valley’s community of Fawnskin about eight years ago to escape city life in Los Angeles. He said he's “100% opposed” to the Moon Camp project for a "myriad of reasons."

The most important factor is protecting the bald eagles and the joy they bring to people, but he said he’s also concerned about development changing the quiet, close-knit community.

“I think part of living here … is that you learn very, very quickly that we adapt to the surroundings,” he said. “We don't expect the forest to adapt to us.”

Fraser said residents’ respect extends to the squirrels, bears and coyotes in Fawnskin, which he described as “our neighbors.” He added that the eagle livestream, which features a picturesque view from the trees towering over Big Bear Lake, may be some viewers' only connection to nature.

“I think that if they were able to look into that screen and extrapolate out into those trees, in the water, and understand that people live there, and the way that we live there is very similar to the way the eagles live in the nest,” he said. “We're all in it together. … No matter where you live, you are a product of nature and the environment.”

Fraser said he sees the fundraiser as helping Jackie and Shadow stay in the area for years but also as a message: There are some things more important than money.