The Big Bear Valley 3rd grade has chosen… the naming contest winners for Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets this year are SANDY and LUNA, according to Friends Of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the nonprofit group that monitors the bonded pair’s Eagle Nest Cam.
Chick 1’s name is Sandy with 30 student votes. Chick 2’s name is Luna with 25 student votes. Sandy was the most popular name entered with 3,706 of the 63,915 names submitted!
As KTLA news in Los Angeles reports, the name “Sandy” carries special meaning, honoring Sandy Steers, the nonprofit’s longtime executive director and the widely recognized public voice of the Big Bear eagle cam, who died in February. Organizers announced the winners after students voted on a list of finalist names generated from more than 63,000 public submissions.
According to FOBBV, “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.” They added, “Thank you for your participation and your generous support of Friends of Big Bear Valley from the entire FOBBV team. You are much appreciated!”
The remaining top 5 votes were as follows:
Star with 22 votes
Chip with 22 votes
Phoenix with 18 votes
The naming contest invited the public to submit suggestions with a donation, with proceeds supporting Friends of Big Bear Valley and its wildlife and education programs. A computer randomly selected finalists, which were then sent to local third grade classrooms for the final vote.
The eaglets hatched April 4 and 5 and have been steadily growing in the nest overlooking Big Bear Lake, drawing thousands of viewers to the popular live cam. The annual naming tradition has become a fan-favorite moment for viewers who have followed Jackie and Shadow’s nesting season from egg to hatch.
—
Photo Credit: Petar Marshall / Shutterstock.com
