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 Moon Camp, a more than 62-acre parcel on the north shore of Big Bear Lake in California, and keep it from becoming a housing and marina project.
The groups said the fundraising total reached $10.5 million on July 24, including a donation of more than $5.5 million from Anna and Greg Brockman. That amount cleared the campaign’s $10 million target and let the purchase move forward.
Here is what that means, and why the land has drawn so much attention.
What is Moon Camp?
Moon Camp is a tract of land near Fawnskin in the San Bernardino Mountains, less than a mile from the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagles that have become widely followed in Big Bear Valley.
Friends of Big Bear Valley says the site is more than just open land. The group describes it as an important wildlife corridor and habitat for bald eagles, San Bernardino flying squirrels, rare native plants, waterfowl and other animals.
The organization also says that before Jackie and Shadow established their nest nearby, Moon Camp was used by an estimated 25 to 30 visiting bald eagles each year.
Why was the land at risk?
Campaign materials and project records describe a development proposal for about 50 custom homes and a 55-slip marina. Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust say their goal is to prevent that project and keep the property in conservation.
The land has been tied to a long-running dispute. Organizers say the site has been under threat for nearly 25 years, while local planning history cited in campaign coverage traces the fight back to 2001 or 2002.
How did the fundraising work?
The land trust said it had a limited window to buy the property for $10 million. In February, Friends of Big Bear Valley began asking supporters for help. By early May, the campaign said it had raised more than $2.5 million. By mid-June, it said the total had passed $3.3 million.
The groups set a July 31 deadline for the full amount.
An option to buy is a legal agreement that gives a buyer the right to purchase a property within a set time. In this case, the organizations said they needed to raise the money before that window closed.
What happens if the purchase goes through?
Friends of Big Bear Valley says the land would be protected in perpetuity, meaning it would stay preserved instead of being developed into homes and a marina. One campaign statement says the property may later be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service.
That kind of outcome is common in land conservation deals: a land trust or other buyer acquires a property first, then places permanent protections on it or transfers it to a public agency.
For Big Bear Valley, the point is local as well as environmental. The land sits near a famous bald eagle nest and within a region where wildlife, shoreline land use and development pressure have long been in conflict.
What is still unclear?
The campaign announcements do not provide a parcel number, deed details or a full closing timeline. They also do not spell out whether the property transfer has already been recorded.
What the groups do say is that the money needed to buy Moon Camp has now been raised, and the land can be kept out of the proposed development plan if the purchase is completed under the agreement they described.
