Impassioned Danville students working to raise $10M to save bald eagle habitat in Big Bear Valley

DANVILLE, Calif. (KGO) -- It's not often a lesson plan gets a whole classroom so excited that students give themselves extra work. But that's what has been happening regularly in Sara Stinson's science class at John Baldwin Elementary School in Danville.

The excitement revolves around Jackie and Shadow, a pair of bald eagles in Big Bear Valley. A webcam points at their nest 24 hours a day.

"When I found out about the Jackie and Shadow camera, I started watching it in all of my classes," Stinson said.

The lives of Jackie and Shadow fit right in with Stinson's unit on life cycles.

"We get to see the eagles set up their nest, then we get to see them lay eggs, and then we get to see the eggs hatch and the chicks grow," Stinson said.

MORE: Big Bear eaglets officially have names: Sandy and Luna

The webcam has been a regular part of her lesson plan for years.

Then a few months ago, she learned that the area where the eagles hunt could be developed into luxury homes, unless the San Bernardino Mountain Land Trust can raise $10 million dollars to buy the land by July 31st.

"I started sharing the information with them and they felt so passionate about it. They were like, 'What can we do?'" Stinton said.

The students took that concern into their next class with teacher Nancy McCaul.

"They were furious that it was happening and they were like literally yelling, 'We need to do something,'" McCaul said.

It just so happened McCaul was starting a persuasive writing unit.

"Instead of doing the normal unit, we shifted a little bit to persuade people in the community, famous people, to donate to this cause," she said.

The letters the students wrote are being sent to people around the world, from family members of the students to social media influencers and famous singers like Taylor Swift.

"When we first heard about this news, it was very sad for us because we are worried that the thing we have been watching for years can go away," fourth grader Evie Cook said.

MORE: Beloved Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow lose both eggs after ravens invade nest

The students have also been raising money on their own by doing bake sales and lemonade stands, and even making bald eagle origamis.

"They've been walking up and down the streets of downtown Danville with posters informing people. They have been thinking about starting a social media campaign," McCaul said.

All this has deeply moved the group trying to save the area, known as Moon Camp.

"It touched my heart, tears me up," said Jenny Voisard of Friends of Big Bear Valley.

The group has been fighting the new development near Fawnskin for 25 years.

Earlier this year, the developer gave them one final chance to buy the land for $10 million dollars, so they launched a campaign to raise the money.

"We don't plan to do anything with it. We want to keep the trees for the flying squirrels and the eagles and everybody else. It's the last undisturbed shoreline," said Voisard.

The concern is not just the bald eagles. Big Bear Valley is home to rare plants like the Ash-gray Indian paintbrush and the area is considered a biodiversity hotspot.

While the development would not directly threaten the tree where Jackie and Shadow have their nest, it will impact their hunting grounds.

"Jackie and Shadow use the area extensively for perching and foraging for food. That is their chosen nesting place," added Voisard.

So far, Friends of Big Bear Valley has raised a quarter of the $10 million dollars needed to buy the land before the July 31st deadline.

Students in Stinson's class get daily updates on the fundraising.

"Every class, first through fifth grade, comes in and one of their first questions is how much money have we raised?" Stinson said.

Voisard says that if Friends of Big Bear Valley can't raise the full $10 million in the next three months, the group plans to take out loans and pay the debt off with more fundraising.

"Failure is not an option," Voisard said.

For more information on the fundraiser, go to savemooncamp.org.