"Southern California lost a conservation champion as the Friends of Big Bear Valley announced the death Wednesday of Sandy Steers, a biologist and the group's executive director, at the age of 73. The group marked Steers' death "with heavy hearts and great sadness." The environmental education nonprofit said it would be providing more information but asked for "time to grieve and process this sad news.""
"Eagles typically only visit Big Bear to find food in the winter when their normal sources of sustenance have frozen over, according to the Friends of Big Bear Valley. That changed in 2009 when a male juvenile from Catalina began to nest in Big Bear during the summer. Shortly after, a pair of eagles nested on the north side, bolstering Big Bear Valley's role as vital habitat for the birds of prey."
"Friends of Big Bear Valley documented and monitored the eagles and spent two years fundraising and planning for their biggest venture: installing cameras trained on the eagles' nest. Steers and the Friends of Big Bear Valley turned the local nesting eagles into a sensation, with thousands of monthly fans logging in to the camera feed to keep track of the arrival of new adults and their offspring."
Sandy Steers, 73, served as executive director of Friends of Big Bear Valley and led many conservation projects while opposing development in the valley. She became best known for advocating for bald eagles and for creating public access to nesting activity through cameras. Bald eagles began nesting in Big Bear in 2009, and the first local chick, Jackie, hatched in 2011 to parents Ricky and Lucy. Friends of Big Bear Valley documented and monitored the birds, fundraising for nest cameras that drew thousands of monthly viewers. Jackie and partner Shadow are monitored 24 hours from a Jeffrey pine above Big Bear Lake. In 2025, three eaglets hatched; two survived and later fledged. The organization asked for time to grieve and process the death.
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