BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., July 25 (High Desert News Online) — Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust say they have raised enough money to buy more than 62 acres at Moon Camp on the north shore of Big Bear Lake in California, ending a fast-moving fundraising push to block a planned housing and marina development near a well-known bald eagle nest.
The groups said the campaign reached $10.5 million, including a donation of more than $5.5 million from Anna and Greg Brockman. The money is meant to secure the land for conservation rather than allow it to become a development site.
What is Moon Camp?
Moon Camp is a stretch of land near Fawnskin in San Bernardino County, less than a mile from the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagles watched by many people in the Big Bear Valley area.
Friends of Big Bear Valley says that before Jackie and Shadow established their nest nearby, the area was used by an estimated 25 to 30 visiting bald eagles each year. The organization also describes the site as habitat and a travel corridor for bald eagles, San Bernardino flying squirrels, rare native plants, waterfowl and other wildlife.
Why was the land at risk?
The property has been tied to a long-running development proposal that local records and campaign history trace back to the early 2000s. Coverage of the project describes plans for about 50 custom homes, along with a 55-slip marina.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and the land trust have said the goal was to keep the land from being developed and to protect it permanently.
How does the deal work?
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust said it had an option to buy the site for $10 million, with a July 31 deadline attached to the effort. That deadline helped drive the fundraising campaign.
As of mid-June, the campaign had raised more than $3.3 million. By July 24, the total had climbed to $10.5 million, enough for the purchase to move ahead.
The exact closing details have not been made public in the materials reviewed for this report, but the fundraising milestone was described as the point that would allow the transaction to proceed.
Why are conservation groups pushing so hard?
For local advocates, the land is not just open space. It sits in a sensitive area near the lake, and the groups say its protection could help preserve wildlife habitat around one of the region’s best-known nesting sites.
The dispute also reflects a broader question in fast-growing mountain communities: whether valuable shoreline land should be built out or kept in permanent conservation.
What happens next?
The groups say the aim is to keep the property protected in perpetuity. One report said the land could later be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, though the public materials do not show a final transfer decision.
For now, the fundraising result marks a major step toward preserving Moon Camp and the habitat around Jackie and Shadow’s nest after years of conflict over the site’s future.
