Soar High and Free: Remembering Jackie and Sandy of Friends of Big Bear Valley

Sometimes nature enters our lives in unexpected ways.

A bird outside our window. A butterfly in the garden. A familiar tree we pass every day.

And sometimes, through the vision of one extraordinary person and the life of one extraordinary wild animal, nature brings together an entire community.

This year, those of us who have followed Friends of Big Bear Valley have had to say goodbye to two very special souls: Sandy Steers and Jackie.

One was a woman whose passion for nature gave millions of people a window into the wild.

The other was a magnificent bald eagle who flew through that window and straight into our hearts.

Together, they created a legacy that will continue to inspire people to love, appreciate, and protect the natural world for generations to come.

The Woman Who Gave Us a Window Into the Wild

Long before millions of people around the world knew the names Jackie and Shadow, Sandy Steers was watching the bald eagles of Big Bear Valley the old-fashioned way—with patience, binoculars, a spotting scope, and a deep love for the wildlife around her.

Year after year, Sandy would sit outside in the snow trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening high above in the eagle nest.

Eventually, she had an idea:

What if everyone could see what was happening up there?

Sandy helped champion the effort to bring a live camera to the Big Bear eagle nest, and in 2015 that dream became a reality.

None of us could have known then what an extraordinary gift that camera would become.

Suddenly, people around the world could witness something most of us would never otherwise see—the everyday lives of wild bald eagles.

We watched them build their nest.

We watched eggs appear.

We waited anxiously for tiny cracks in shells.

We celebrated eaglets.

We worried through snowstorms.

We laughed at sticks that didn't quite go where Jackie wanted them.

And through it all, we became connected to a wild eagle family living high in the mountains of Southern California.

Sandy didn't simply give us a camera.

She gave us a connection.

And Then There Was Jackie

Jackie was never a pet.

She was never performing for us.

She was gloriously, completely wild.

And perhaps that's exactly why we loved her so much.

Jackie showed us nature as it really is—beautiful, funny, unpredictable, heartbreaking, resilient, and sometimes incredibly harsh.

We watched her sit patiently through snowstorms, fiercely protect her nest, rearrange sticks with very definite opinions, call to Shadow, incubate eggs, raise eaglets, and simply sit quietly overlooking her mountain home.

She had personality.

Anyone who watched her knew it.

There were moments when we laughed at Jackie and Shadow like an old married couple. Moments when we held our breath waiting for an egg to hatch. Moments of tremendous joy when an eaglet finally took flight.

And there were heartbreaking seasons when nature reminded us that there are no guarantees in the wild.

Still, Jackie returned.

Season after season.

Strong. Determined. Beautiful.

More Than an Eagle Cam

Somewhere along the way, something remarkable happened.

We stopped simply watching birds.

We became invested in their world.

People who may never have thought much about bald eagles suddenly knew about incubation, pipping, fledging, nest building, eagle behavior, and the challenges wild birds face.

Children watched the nest from classrooms.

Families checked on Jackie and Shadow together.

People from countries around the world woke up and wondered:

What's happening at the nest today?

That is the extraordinary power of connecting people with nature.

Once we know something, we begin to care about it.

And once we care about something, we want to protect it.

That may be Sandy and Jackie's greatest shared legacy.

A Final Gift From Jackie and Sandy

There is something especially touching about Jackie's final nesting season.

In 2026, Jackie and Shadow welcomed two eaglets.

One of them was named Sandy, in honor of Sandy Steers.

Both young eagles eventually took to the skies.

There is something beautifully full-circle about that.

Sandy spent years helping the world watch these eagles soar.

And in Jackie's final season, one of the young eagles who took flight carried Sandy's name.

Nature has a way of creating poetry we could never write ourselves.

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Why Their Loss Feels So Personal

It can be difficult to explain why losing a wild eagle we've never touched—or a person many of us never personally met—can hurt so deeply.

But connection doesn't always require proximity.

Sandy invited us into this world.

Jackie allowed us to witness it.

They became part of our mornings, our conversations, our classrooms, and our routines.

We celebrated with them.

We worried about them.

We learned from them.

And most importantly, they made us look up.

At the trees.

At the mountains.

At the sky.

At the wild creatures living their lives all around us.

The Legacy Continues

There will never be another Sandy Steers.

And there will never be another Jackie.

But perhaps honoring them isn't about trying to replace what we've lost.

It's about continuing what they started.

Watch the birds in your backyard.

Plant something that supports wildlife.

Teach a child the name of a bird.

Protect the places wild animals need to survive.

Put down your phone for a moment and listen to the sounds outside your window.

Look up when a shadow passes overhead.

Stay curious.

Stay connected.

And never lose your sense of wonder.

Soar High and Free

At Feather & Fern, nature has always been at the heart of what inspires me.

Birds, butterflies, gardens, forests, mountains, and all the small moments of beauty found just outside our doors remind us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

That is why the stories of Sandy and Jackie mean so much.

One devoted her life to helping people understand and protect nature.

The other simply lived hers—wild and free—and in doing so taught millions of people to care.

Perhaps that is the most beautiful legacy either could leave behind.

Thank you, Sandy, for giving us the window.

Thank you, Jackie, for giving us the view.

And thank you both for reminding us to keep looking toward the sky.

Soar high and free together. 🦅🌿