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A look at the land bought by Big Bear’s $10 million fundraiser as Jackie recovers
Friends of Big Bear Valley took LAist on a walk through part of the Moon Camp property on Friday, July 31.
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A look at the land bought by Big Bear’s $10 million fundraiser as Jackie recovers
The community behind Big Bear’s famous bald eagles are celebrating a major milestone. Dozens of acres near Jackie and Shadow’s nest are now being preserved, under the care of a SoCal land trust. LAist's Makenna Cramer takes us to the mountains.
A SoCal land trust has officially purchased nearly 63 acres of land near Big Bear’s famous bald eagle nest for permanent preservation.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust successfully raised more than $10 million in less than six months through thousands of small donations and one big check, the groups announced in recent weeks. A surge in donations came amid public interest in the fate of Jackie, who continues to recuperate after getting into an altercation with other eagles.
There are several signs that the eagle receiving care is Jackie, but we’ve cautioned that we can’t be 100% certain it’s her since Jackie isn’t banded. However, Friends of Big Bear Valley determined it to be the famed raptor, which is why you’ll see us refer to the rescued eagle as Jackie in this story.
The land, tucked away along the north side of Big Bear Lake, was supposed to be turned into a housing project called Moon Camp — at least until now.
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The tree-lined acres will remain largely untouched for the rare plants and wildlife who live in the area. That includes Jackie and Shadow and the chicks they raise during nesting seasons, according to officials.
Jenny Voisard, Friends of Big Bear Valley spokesperson, gave LAist a look at part of the property that's now permanently preserved.
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"That's all Moon Camp," Voisard said last Friday. "That's all the shoreline. That's all the eagle perch trees all along there. It goes all the way down."
A look inside the land that's now preserved under the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust.
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Makenna Cramer
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Moon Camp's trees, pinecones and plants will remain largely untouched, minus some required brush clearance.
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"It's not easy to save land. It's not easy to preserve things. It's not easy to save trees," she continued. "It took the love of people living here, the people living around here and the people watching through the livestream to make it a reality."
How we got here
The “Save Moon Camp” fundraiser was a historic effort for Friends of Big Bear Valley, the nonprofit that runs the popular YouTube livestream of Jackie and Shadow’s nest.
Fans from around the world sent more than 25,000 small donations, including California elementary school classes who raised money for the eagles and a $20,000 gift that arrived with a handwritten letter of support. Those donations made up about half of the total fundraising goal.
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Jennifer Heichberger, treasurer for the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust, processed roughly 1,000 checks that came through the mail.
"It was really awesome to see the amount of people that had multiple donations," she told LAist. "I started writing little hearts on their labels, on the addressee and things like that just because it was like, 'Hey, I see you.' I get choked up, but it was great."
The other roughly $5.5 million came from Anna and Greg Brockman, the latter of which is the president and co-founder of OpenAI. Anna Brockman is a huge fan of the eagle livestream and loves watching Jackie and Shadow, according to Voisard.
"She was very excited to do this for Jackie and Shadow and for the people that love them," Voisard said. "There is no ill-motive, there is nothing but a gift in giving back. And so if AI can do something good, well, it just did."
Preserving the land has been decades in the making. Sandy Steers, the late executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley, pushed back against the proposed housing development for years, including in court and to county officials. Steers died the week before the fundraiser launched, which officials said was now being held in her honor.
The community behind the eagles
Eagles aren't hard to spot in Big Bear, at least with the art and merchandise around town. But what about the Jackie and Shadow?
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Ron Wood, better known as Woody, points out the nesting tree for up to 50 visitors a day from Captain John's Fawn Harbor & Marina by Dana Point Park.
Ron Wood, better known as Woody, pointing out Jackie and Shadow's nesting tree in Big Bear Valley.
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Makenna Cramer
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LAist
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Captain John's Fawn Harbor & Marina has a telescope and binoculars set up for eagle fans looking for the famous nest.
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Makenna Cramer
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"People come from all over the world," he told LAist. "I mean, I've met people from different countries, every state you could imagine that see them on TV."
The marina is also where Jackie was rescued a few weeks ago, Wood said. The eagle has been getting care for severe anemia at the Ojai Raptor Center.
Where the bald eagle believed to be Jackie was rescued a few weeks ago.
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Voisard gets emotional when she talks about Jackie. It's not clear when, or if, the eagle can return to the Big Bear nest.
"She has to be able to take care of herself, she has to be able to defend herself," Voisard said. "It doesn't do any good to release her before she is [at] full strength because she may not make it."
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But one thing is for sure — Moon Camp will be waiting.
"I hope that Jackie comes home, because we have your Moon Camp ready, Jackie. It's all ready to go," Voisard said at a backyard closing party in Big Bear last Friday. "So everybody please raise a glass. We did it!"
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust and Friends of Big Bear Valley, including spokesperson Jenny Voisard (center left), toasted champagne to celebrate the land being permanently preserved.
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Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust held a backyard closing party for the Moon Camp property on July 31.
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Makenna Cramer
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What happens next?
The plan is no longer to have the acres be protected under the U.S. Forest Service, as Friends of Big Bear Valley initially hoped. Some fans shared concerns about the state of the agency under President Donald Trump. Specifically, Voisard said there was a recent change to the Endangered Species Act that could affect how habitats are protected.
“The Land Trust and Friends of Big Bear Valley didn't feel that it made sense to transfer the land over to the USFS at that point,” she said.
The acres will instead be protected by the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust for perpetuity. It’s no stranger to the preservation process, having helped conserve more than 15,000 acres of land since it was founded in 1995, according to the organization.
The Moon Camp site can be seen from the nest livestream.
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Friends of Big Bear Valley
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Access to the area around Jackie and Shadow's nest is restricted in Big Bear Valley on June 13, 2026.
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Makenna Cramer
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According to Friends of Big Bear Valley, the Moon Camp site is the last undisturbed shoreline left on the lake, and preserving it helps protect Jackie and Shadow, as well as the more than 250 other bird species flying through the Big Bear area.
How to support the environmental orgs and their work
- Friends of Big Bear Valley is an educational, environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving the mountain community, which they say is the 7th most biologically diverse ecosystem in the country.
- The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust is a nonprofit that aims to protect the Southern California mountain range by purchasing land for preservation.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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