Big Bear eaglets officially named Sandy and Luna after student vote; name honors late director Sandy Steers
Big Bear Lake’s 2026 bald eaglets from Jackie and Shadow are officially named Sandy and Luna after a public fundraiser and a student vote — a tribute honoring late Friends of Big Bear Valley director Sandy Steers.
Key takeaways
- Two eaglets hatched April 4 and April 5, 2026 — now named Sandy (Chick 1) and Luna (Chick 2) (ABC7; LAist).
- Names chosen by local third-grade students from a randomized 30-name ballot drawn from 63,915 public submissions during a FOBBV fundraiser.
- Sandy honors late FOBBV executive director Sandy Steers; the name was also the most popular public submission with 3,706 entries.
- Viewers can watch the 24-hour nest cam and follow chick development on the FOBBV channel (FOBBV nest-cam stream).
Key information
Hatching dates and parentage: Two eaglets hatched on April 4 and April 5, 2026, from the nesting pair Jackie and Shadow at Big Bear Lake (ABC7; LAist).
Names and selection: The chicks were named Sandy (Chick 1, hatched April 4) and Luna (Chick 2, hatched April 5) by Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), which operates the 24-hour YouTube nest cam (ABC7; LAist).
Student vote totals: From a ballot of 30 names, local third-grade students cast votes: Sandy received 30 student votes and Luna 25. The sex of each chick has not been confirmed yet (LAist; Victor Valley News Group).
Growth and behavior: Each eaglet now weighs nearly 3 pounds, up from around 2 ounces at hatching, and are showing subtle personality differences observers use to distinguish them (ABC7; LAist).
How the names were chosen
Friends of Big Bear Valley ran an open-name fundraiser that drew 63,915 submissions from the public. FOBBV then randomly selected 30 gender-neutral names from that large pool to create a student ballot distributed to third-grade classes across Big Bear Valley.
Local schools teach students about bald eagles and conservation as part of this tradition; the randomized 30-name ballot makes the process manageable and educational. Students cast final votes that produced winners Sandy and Luna. Runner-up names included Star, Chip, and Phoenix, with other ballot options such as Windy, Kazoo, River and Hazy (LAist; PopSci).
Context: The procedure mirrors prior seasons; last year’s eaglets were named Sunny and Gizmo after a similar public-nomination and student-vote process that drew about 54,000 submissions (LAist).
A tribute to Sandy Steers
The name Sandy honors Sandy Steers, the longtime executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley who launched the eagle cam in 2015 and who died in February after a battle with cancer. FOBBV reported that Sandy was the most popular public submission with 3,706 entries of the 63,915 names submitted (ABC7; PopSci).
“Please know that although Sandy would not have wanted us to outright name one of the eaglets Sandy, she would have been honored that you and the students went through the process and named one of the 2026 eaglets after her.” — FOBBV statement
This naming was framed by FOBBV as both a community celebration and a memorial.
How to tell Sandy and Luna apart
At nearly one month old, both eaglets have grown quickly. Observers note subtle differences:
- Sandy: larger overall, with a bigger head and neck and a slight curve to the gape of its beak; described as more submissive during early sibling interactions (ABC7).
- Luna: appears smaller and more assertive; early “bonking” (soft head-butting) was more pronounced from Luna, though the siblings now show signs of bonding (LAist).
Note: FOBBV cautions these differences are subtle and may change as the chicks develop.
Watching the nest cam
Eagle watchers can follow Jackie and Shadow’s nest live any time on YouTube at the FOBBV channel. The 24-hour stream offers close-up views of nesting behavior, feeding, growth milestones and occasional dramatic moments on Big Bear Lake (LAist).
FOBBV uses the cam for education and fundraising; public engagement — including the nearly 64,000 name-submission fundraiser — helps pay for nest monitoring, habitat work and school programs that teach children about eagles and conservation (LAist; Victor Valley News Group).
Background: Jackie, Shadow and the Big Bear tradition
Jackie and Shadow are a breeding pair monitored by FOBBV for several years. The nonprofit has cultivated a community around the eagle cam, using it as a teaching tool about wildlife, local ecosystems and conservation work. The naming tradition — public submissions followed by a student vote — is now part of Big Bear Valley’s local culture (LAist).
Investigative note: transparency and community input
The process combines broad public submissions with a local student vote from a randomized ballot. That mix is intended to balance wide public involvement with hands-on education for students. The public-sourced fundraiser also supports camera upkeep and community programming; while sources describe the process as deliberate and educational, the randomization step and the balance between public entries and student votes can draw interest from eagle-cam followers (ABC7; LAist).
Implications for Los Angeles, California
Economic impact: The eagle cam drives tourism interest in the San Bernardino National Forest and Big Bear Lake area; viewers from Los Angeles often plan visits that boost lodging, restaurants and outdoor businesses. Fundraising tied to the cam funds local conservation work that supports the visitor economy (LAist).
Political consequences: The cam demonstrates effective local nonprofit outreach and can inform policymakers on funding for habitat protection, environmental education grants and interagency cooperation. The student-vote model shows how schools can partner with nonprofits for hands-on learning (LAist).
Social and cultural effects: The naming and live-streaming create shared experiences for families, classrooms and online communities across Southern California. The tribute to Sandy Steers adds a human story linking conservation leadership and regional pride (ABC7).
Practical applications: Teachers and informal educators can use the cam and naming story as classroom material. The nomination-to-student-vote model is reproducible for school conservation projects and educational programs (Victor Valley News Group; PopSci).
