Preserve Our Natural Playground
Posted: 12/10/25
Whether you're living in the mountains or visiting for the weekend - everyone has a part to play in Preserving Our Natural Playground
Known as the island in the sky, Big Bear is a unique oasis away from the metropolis landscape of Southern California. The winding roads through pine forests and towering peaks welcome you to a place seemingly worlds away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Big Bear is a place to slow your pace, breathe deeper and connect with natural beauty. Our mountain community thrives on the love we have and the recreation we enjoy within the San Bernardino National Forest.
That's why, it's crucial for locals and visitors alike to care for this valley, this landscape, and this community.
We share this landscape.
The neighborhoods within the Big Bear Valley are surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. This means we're lucky enough to share this valley with bears, coyotes, mountain lions, deer, squirrels, bald eagles, and hundreds of other wildlife species. We are also home to thousands of plant species, some of which aren't found anywhere else in the world!
By treating the mountains like your home, not only do you pave the way for visitors and locals alike to continue enjoying our natural playground - you make it possible for other people in the future to enjoy Big Bear at it's greatest.
Join Us!
Big Bear hosts a variety of conservation groups that are volunteer powered and donation funded. Get to know our hometown heroes:
1. Big Bear Alpine Zoo
Our local zoo is a rehabilitation facility first, dedicated to healing injured wildlife with a successful release rate of over 90%. Those animals that cannot be released may stay on as permanent residents.
2. Southern California Mountains Foundation
SCMF works hard to connect people with public lands to foster appreciate and pride in our natural environment. This group is power by volunteers who maintain trails, engage in forest restoration, seed collecting, staff fire lookout posts and much more.
3. Friends of the Big Bear Valley
Apart from advocating for environmental protection, this group also funds and operates the Bald Eagle Cam on YouTube.
Big Bear Dark Sky Initiative
When thinking about environmental harms, people often think of litter, water pollution, and air pollution. These are certainly real concerns, but most do not think of light pollution or protecting the night sky.
Light pollution and the loss of dark skies has a significant impact on the overall health of our natural environment - as well as our own human health. This year - 2025 - Care for Big Bear launched the Dark Sky Initiative, an effort to bring awareness of light pollution impacts and encourage local and visitors to limit exterior lighting.
Big Bear still enjoys prime stargazing conditions that includes astrophotography and astronomical study. But like our environment on the ground, the night sky is as healthy as we keep it. So join us as we dim, shield, and switch off outdoor lighting to allow our stars to shine bright!
Easy Ways to Help
- Dispose of trash properly - your hotel or vacation rentals will have policies and procedures in place for disposal
- Be respectful of wildlife. Do not feed or approach wild animals. More on this >>>
- Follow proper campfire laws and precautions. More on this >>>
- Clear away fishing supplies and equipment - do not leave loose hooks and line in or near the water
- Clear away broken sleds - do not leave them in the forest
- Switch off unused exterior lights
