The Friends of Big Bear Valley nonprofit has successfully secured nearly 63 acres of land near Big Bear Lake for permanent conservation. This "Save Moon Camp" campaign raised over $10 million in just six months to protect the last untouched shoreline in the area and the habitat of famous bald eagles.
The $10 million "Save Moon Camp" windfaall
The preservation of the "Moon Camp" site was made possible by a rapid $10 million fundraising blitz that lasted only six months. According to the report, this massive sum was a combination of thousands of small community donations and a significant contribution from Anna and Greg Brockman, the latter of whom serves as the president and co-founder of OpenAI.
This surge of capital allowed the Friends of Big Bear Valley to move quickly to secure the 63 acres of land. The campaign represents a historic milestone for the nonprofit, drawing widespread support from local parents, educators, and community members dedicated to protecting the Big Bear Lake ecosystem from future development.
Protecting the habitat of Jackie and Shadow
The acquired 63 acres represent the final undisturbed shoreline remaining on Big Bear Lake, serving as a critical ecological corridor.. This land connects the lake to the surrounding forest, providing a vital passage for wildlife and protecting rare plant species that are endemic to this specific region of Southern California.
A primary driver for this acquisition was the need to protect the nesting grounds of the famous bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow. While the specific identity of a recently rescued eagle remains unconfirmed because it lacks identifying bands, the Friends of Big Bear Valley believes the raptor is likely Jackie, an iconic figure in the local ecosystem.
Why the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust beat the U.S. Forest Service
The successful acquisition marks the end of a decades-long struggle to prevent residential construction on this specific plot of land. This preservation effort was originally championed by the late executive director Sandy Steers, who spent years opposing proposed housing developments in the area to ensure the land remained wild.
While there was an initial plan to have the U.S . Forest Service protect the site, the Friends of Big Bear Valley ultimately chose a different path. As the source reports, the nonrpofit decided to entrust the perpetual protection of the land to the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust, an organization that has conserved more than 15,000 acres since its inception in 1995.
The difficulty of identifying the unbanded eagle
Despite the success of the land acquisition, some biological details regarding the local wildlife remain unverified. Because the rescued bald eagle does not have identifying bands, experts cannot confirm with absolute certainty if the bird is indeed the well-known raptor Jackie.
The community now looks toward the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust to manage this critical corridor. While the land is officially protected, the long-term survival of the delicate Big Bear ecosystem depends on how this newly secured habitat is maintained against encroaching environmental pressures.
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