By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-23 22:14:52 | Updated at 2026-07-27 18:12:57
3 days ago
A race is underway to save the last untouched stretch of shoreline on one of California's most picturesque mountain lakes.
Locals have only a handful of days left to buy the 63-acre property known as Moon Camp - a lakeside area overlooking Big Bear Lake near Los Angeles.
Developers pursued plans for the site for years - the proposal originally called for more than 100 homes before being scaled back to a 50-home subdivision with a marina following years of opposition, environmental challenges and legal action.
Despite local uproar, San Bernardino County approved the project in 2025, prompting fresh lawsuits from conservation groups who argue there will not be enough land to support the wildlife in the area.
Now, conservationists believe they have one last chance.
The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust negotiated a limited agreement to purchase the property outright, but only if it can raise the full purchase price before the deadline expires on July 31.
If successful, the land would be permanently protected from development and preserved as open space.
As of July 23, the nonprofit raised almost half of their $10million goal. Although the total may seem lofty, Southern California developer Ari Rastegar believes it's within reach.
'For affluent buyers and people emotionally invested in this area, it is actually very achievable,' he told the Daily Mail. 'There is also a huge following around the bald eagles in that area, so there are people who care deeply about the environmental side, conservation efforts and the emotional story of protecting Big Bear.'
Locals have been battling luxury development near the Big Bear Valley area for years - with some mentioning fire safety concerns
Big Bear Lake is used for kayaking and swimming alongside a sandy beach in the California community
The community also recently created a petition to protect Big Bear's bald eagles from noisy Independence Day fireworks - it earned over 50,000 signatures from concerned locals.
Supporters say the fight extends beyond protecting wildlife.
The campaign argues the untouched shoreline also supports rare native plants, helps preserve evacuation routes in a wildfire-prone region and maintains one of the last natural landscapes around a lake increasingly lined with vacation homes and rental properties.
Sehila Mota Casper, Executive Director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, added that in a place like Big Bear, gentrification and conservation often go hand-in-hand.
She noted that the community is rapidly becoming a destination for people who can afford to visit - while longtime residents who sustain that destination face a very different housing market.
The city has even acknowledged the need for affordable long-term housing for its workforce.
'Adding high-value residential development to a market already shaped by tourism and short-term rentals can intensify pressure on land and housing costs,' Casper told the Daily Mail. 'Over time, that changes who can afford to live there, who owns the land, and whose presence becomes economically possible.'
'That is why gentrification is also a preservation issue,' she added, 'when communities are displaced, we lose the people who carry the memory, traditions, knowledge and cultural identity of a place.'
Locals only have until July 31 to raise $10million and stop developers from moving into the picturesque area
For some coveted areas, though, real estate experts believe development is inevitable.
For real estate finance and mortgage brokerage firm owner Iraklii 'Nick' Panize, who recently closed a hotel refinance in the Big Bear area, there is a way to develop responsibly that will benefit the community in the long run.
'People come to Big Bear because it feels different from the rest of Southern California,' Panize told the Daily Mail. 'If overdevelopment takes away the natural setting that attracts visitors in the first place, it hurts property values, tourism and local businesses.'
The best approach, he said, is 'improving what's already there' while protecting the areas that make Big Bear unique.
