As the country gears up to celebrate the 4th of July this Friday, a petition has been in the works to try and stop one of Southern California’s biggest fireworks displays in Big Bear. Since June 24th, nearly 40,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for the show to be canceled due to concerns for Big Bear’s famous bald eagle family, which has been going viral since March. However, Visit Big Bear has confirmed that the show will proceed as normal.
FOBBV statement and petition from bald eagle followers
Friends of Big Bear Valley (FOBBV), the organization behind the Big Bear bald eagle live cams, posted on Facebook on June 30th about how fireworks may affect the eagles. Sandy Steers, Executive Director of FOBBV, wrote that they have been trying to convince Visit Big Bear to cancel the show, citing proof that eagle parents Jackie and Shadow are known to leave the area for days after the annual fireworks show. If the elder eagle couple leaves this year, juveniles Sunny and Gizmo may be on their own as they’re learning to fly.
“Shadow and Jackie leaving at this time of training and growth for Sunny and Gizmo could be especially devastating to the juveniles’ long and short-term development and chances of survival. Eagles and especially juveniles have very poor night vision and being startled into flight at night is very dangerous.”
The Change.org petition echoes these concerns, stating, “Eagles are a protected species, and it’s our duty to safeguard them… I urge you to consider the long-term impact of fireworks on the wildlife in Big Bear Lake. By choosing to delay or ban the annual 4th of July fireworks show.”
As of July 3rd, the petition has nearly 39,000 signatures.
Response from Visit Big Bear
Despite the petition, Visit Big Bear announced that they will proceed with hosting the 2025 fireworks show as usual. They posted a lengthy statement on July 2, writing, “the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed that the event is not expected to cause nest failure. As always, we’ve sited the fireworks barge away from the nest to reduce risk.”
“This show is short, carefully managed, and located over the lake — designed to limit disruption while helping prevent illegal fireworks around the Valley, which pose far greater danger to wildlife and wildfire safety.”
The Big Bear Fire Department also responded to concerns about the fireworks show triggering a wildfire in the area. On July 1, they also posted a statement to Facebook, explaining more about how they launch fireworks from a barge in the lake so as to reduce the impacts on land.
The Big Bear Fireworks Show is scheduled to start between 8:45-9:15pm on Friday, July 4, 2025, lasting around 30 minutes. The fireworks display comes at the end of a festive day of activities, including an Independence Day Faire at the Big Bear Convention Center and a 4th of July Fun Run.