The bald eagles living in California's Big Bear Valley could be in danger if a housing development gets approval to build.
A pair of bald eagles are once again drawing global attention as they raise their newest chicks, but while viewers are captivated by life in the nest, a serious threat looms beyond the treetops: a $10 million conservation effort to protect the surrounding habitat.
Friends of Big Bear Valley , a nonprofit focused on environmental awareness and protecting animals in the San Bernardino Mountains, operates acamera that started in 2015 and streams footage from the nest of Jackie and Shadow, allowing viewers to get a close look into their daily activities, including egg laying, incubation and hatchlings. Earlier this year, the couple had two hatchlings that were destroyed by ravens, leaving the organization heartbroken. But at the end of February, Jackie laid two more eggs, both of which hatched over Easter weekend. When news spread, people around the world have flocked to the FOBBV YouTube channel to watch as these eaglets grow. "Eaglets have 10-14 weeks to grow up and figure out how to fly out of the nest, so we don't have too much time with them," Jenny Voisard, media manager for FOBBV, toldBut now with the threat of a new development coming to the area, FOBBV is hoping the nest camera will bring awareness to its goal of raising $10 million to protect the. The nonprofit partnered with the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust to purchase an area known as Moon Camp, with a deadline of July 31,. If the deal doesn't come to fruition, the developer has plans to include housing and marina slips for the 63 acres.As conservationists continue raising awareness and money, viewers have been captivated by the rare front-row seat to the eagles and their babies. The eaglets are only about 4 to 5 inches tall. In comparison, Jackie and Shadow's talons alone stretch 1 1/2 to 2 inches. The parents use their giant beaks to nibble off the smallest pieces of food to give to their babies. The description on an April 7 YouTube video said the eaglets were fed 17 times daily. Some viewers might have noticed the chicks"bonking" one another, which can be hard to watch, but FOBBV ensured that this behavior is normal and even necessary. They are working to establish dominance over the other and the temporary pecking order of who gets fed first, which will strengthen their survival instincts.The story of Jackie and Shadow is rooted in a much longer history of bald eagles in Big Bear Valley. More than 30 years ago, the forest service began conducting bald eagle counts to keep a record of how many traveled to the area during winter. It averaged from 25 to 30, but more recently dwindled from six to eight, the The pattern shifted dramatically around 2009, when a young tagged eagle from Catalina Island remained in the valley through the summer, an early sign that these animals were beginning to reestablish themselves as year-round residents. By the 2011-2012 nesting season, Big Bear saw a historic milestone: the first documented bald eagle chick hatched in the valley.Jackie eventually formed a bond with a new mate, Shadow, and together they established the now-famous nest that has viewers tuning in daily.Opinion
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