BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif., July 25 (High Desert News Online) — A $10 million campaign to buy Moon Camp near Big Bear Lake has reached its goal, setting up a conservation purchase of more than 62 acres on California’s north shore that local groups say was slated for a large housing and marina project.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust say the land sits less than a mile from the nest of Jackie and Shadow, the bald eagles that have drawn attention to Big Bear Valley. The groups say protecting the site matters not just because of the nest, but because the property is part of a wider wildlife corridor used by bald eagles, San Bernardino flying squirrels, native plants, waterfowl and other species.
What is Moon Camp?
Moon Camp is private land on the north shore of Big Bear Lake, near Fawnskin in San Bernardino County. Friends of Big Bear Valley says the property was tied to a proposed development of about 50 custom homes, or more than 50 homes, along with a 55-slip marina.
The nonprofit says the development fight has gone on for nearly 25 years. Other campaign descriptions place the start of the dispute in 2001.
Why do conservation groups want it?
The land trust and Friends of Big Bear Valley say Moon Camp is part of an ecological corridor around Big Bear Lake. In campaign statements, the groups describe the site as important habitat for bald eagles and other wildlife.
One quoted statement from Voisard, relayed in PopSci, said there used to be 20 to 35 visiting bald eagles at Big Bear Lake in winter and that the number is now six to 10 at best.
The groups’ larger goal is to keep the land protected permanently. In their campaign material, that means conservation in perpetuity. One report also says the land could later be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service.
How did the fundraising work?
Friends of Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust launched a push to raise $10 million by July 31, 2026. The groups said they needed enough money to exercise a purchase option tied to the property.
The campaign moved in stages. In early May, Friends of Big Bear Valley said it had raised more than $2.5 million. By mid-June, the nonprofit said it had raised more than $3.3 million. On July 24, Friends of Big Bear Valley said donations had reached $10.5 million, including a gift of more than $5.5 million from Anna and Greg Brockman, allowing the purchase to proceed.
What happens next?
The sources provided do not say whether the sale has already closed or recorded. But the fundraising goal being met gives the land trust a path to move ahead with the purchase and the conservation plan.
For Big Bear Valley, the Moon Camp campaign is more than a fundraiser. It is a land deal, a wildlife effort and a long-running local land-use dispute centered on a shoreline site next to one of California’s best-known bald eagle nests.