Students Rally to Save Bald Eagle Habitat in Big Bear Valley

Fourth-grade teacher Sara Stinson and her class have launched a grassroots campaign to help the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust (SBMLT) purchase Moon Camp, a parcel on the last undeveloped shoreline of Big Bear Lake. The land serves as the hunting ground for bald eagles Jackie and Shadow and their chicks, streamed live via a webcam installed by the Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV). A proposed luxury housing development threatens to eliminate the habitat unless $10 million is raised.

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Teacher Sara Stinson leads the effort, supported by her 4th-grade students, including Evie Cook. The eagles Jackie and Shadow and their chicks are the focal wildlife. Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV) provides the webcam and advocacy. The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust (SBMLT) holds a limited Purchase Option Agreement for Moon Camp and coordinates fundraising.

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Last year the eagles were introduced to the class and FOBBV installed the webcam. A few months ago Stinson learned of the housing plan. SBMLT’s purchase option requires payment by the end of July. The $10 million target is about 25 % funded.

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Preserving the shoreline protects a federally listed species, the bald eagle, and the endemic ash-gray Indian paintbrush. The live webcam offers a concrete conservation lesson, linking classroom learning to real-world habitat protection and fostering stewardship among students and the local community.

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Sara Stinson said the webcam lets students follow the eagles’ full breeding cycle, making habitat loss a personal concern, and that sharing the development news sparked the class’s fundraising drive. SBMLT and FOBBV confirmed the limited purchase option and said they will seek a loan if the $10 million goal is not met. Students have organized lemonade stands, bake sales, and flyer distribution.

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• “We get to see the eagles set up their nest, then we get to see them lay eggs, and then we get to see the eggs hatch and the chicks grow,” — Sara Stinson, 4th-grade science teacher

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• “I started sharing the information with them and they felt so passionate about it. They were like, ‘What can we do?'” — Sara Stinson, 4th-grade science teacher

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• “When we first heard about this news, it was very sad for us because we are worried that the thing we have been watching for years can go away,” — Evie Cook, 4th-grade student

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• “I started sharing the information with them and they felt so passionate about it. They were like, ‘What can we do?'” — 4th-grade students (collective)

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SBMLT must decide by the end of July whether to exercise its purchase option for Moon Camp. If fundraising remains below the $10 million target, the trust plans to secure a loan to complete the acquisition. The student groups will continue their fundraising activities until the deadline.

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