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The land that Jackie and Shadow depend on to survive will remain intact. On Friday, Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the nonprofit behind the couple’s 24/7 live camera, announced that they reached their goal of raising $10 million to purchase land around Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.
A $5.5 million donation from Anna and Greg Brockman propelled the fundraising toward its goal ahead of the July 31 deadline. Greg Brockman is co-founder and president of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Before the Brockmans’ donation, more than 25,000 donations had raised nearly half of the funds needed.
7-24-26 Lunar Camp: GOAL ACCOMPLISHED
“Greg and I are grateful to all those who stood up to save the home of these majestic eagles, Jackie and Shadow,” Anna Brockman said in a statement. “Like many people around the world, we love watching them be incredible partners with each other and raise their children. They inspire perseverance and a sense of connection to something bigger, to nature. We are proud to provide support. We are very grateful to the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust and everyone who has come together to preserve this incredible ecosystem, the life it will help support, and the forest that will be protected for generations to come.”
The land that will be purchased with the $10 million is known as Moon Camp. This tract of land has been the target of luxury housing and marina developers for more than two decades. The land is located less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow’s nest, and borders part of the lake that is home to all the fish that the eagles and their chicks depend on for their sustenance. It is also home to a tranquil forest that is home to birds, squirrels and other animals, as well as the ash-gray Indian paintbrush (Castilleja cinerea), a rare and endangered endemic plant found only here.
Purchasing Moon Camp was a passion project for Sandy Steers, former executive director of FOBBV and fierce supporter of Jackie and Shadow. Steers died on February 11 after a battle with cancer. A lifelong wildlife activist, she helped launch the live cameras in 2015 and also served as FOBBV’s resident bald eagle expert.
Steers and the San Bernardino Mountain Land Trust negotiated a limited purchase agreement with the landowner, developer RCK Properties, earlier this year.
“Sandy passed away immediately after the agreement was signed, so we are doing this in his honor,” said Jenny Voisard, FOBBV media manager. popular science earlier this year. “She put all of that on her shoulders because she wanted to save it all.”
“We are beyond grateful for the tireless support of so many people over these past six months,” Voisard said. “This is a special community that has a true love for Jackie and Shadow’s well-being along with nature.”
While the news of the fundraiser is joyous for the thousands of people who have tuned in to Jackie and Shadow over the years, it comes at a worrying time for the bald eagle couple. Mama Jackie is currently in a rehabilitation facility in Ojai, California, after being found injured following an altercation with two sub-adult bald eagles. Papa Shadow has been caring for his 2026 eaglets, Luna and Sandy, alone since Jackie’s rescue. The chicks will likely be fully grown in the next few weeks.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, the parent company of Popular Science, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging that it infringed Ziff Davis’ copyrights by training and operating its AI systems.
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