Visitors attending Jackie’s memorial weekend can collect native seeds for future restoration in the San Bernardino National Forest. The October 4 outing welcomes beginners and children, with volunteers meeting at the Big Bear Discovery Center.
The outing is part of Wings Over Big Bear, the two-day tribute announced earlier this month. The October 3–4, 2026, event honors Jackie, the wild bald eagle whose life with her mate, Shadow, was shared through Big Bear’s nest cameras.
Event essentials
Wings Over Big Bear
October 3–4, 2026
Big Bear Lake, California
Saturday’s venue
Bear Mountain Ski Resort
Saturday’s times
10 a.m. venue opens
10:30 a.m. ceremony
Memorial admission
Free · RSVP requested
Sunday’s activities
Locations across the valley
Saturday’s address
43101 Goldmine Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
All times Pacific. Sunday times and registration vary by activity.
The Southern California Mountains Foundation is organizing the collection outing. Participants need to register in advance and dress for outdoor field conditions.
October 4 is a seed-collection outing, not a tree-planting session. Organizers haven’t named the target plants or identified the sites that might eventually use the seeds.
Seed collection is already part of local conservation work. Big Bear’s Green Thumbs volunteer program also includes nursery support, planting native vegetation and tending restoration sites by weeding and watering.
What visitors can do beyond the ceremony
A Discovery Center naturalist will lead the free birdwatching walk, introducing participants to birds that live in or migrate through the valley. Bring water and binoculars if you have them. Seeing a particular species isn’t guaranteed.
Seed collection and the first trail-conservation talk both begin at 10 a.m. Sunday, at different locations. Visitors should choose a starting activity rather than assume the listings form a guided itinerary.
At Grays Peak Trailhead, the talks introduce trail work and conservation. The foundation’s existing Adopt-a-Trail program combines annual sponsorship with volunteer maintenance, allowing individuals, families and groups to support a particular stretch of trail.
Saturday’s gathering follows Jackie’s death in August. The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation will lead the ceremony’s opening. Music and speakers from Friends of Big Bear Valley and the U.S. Forest Service are also on the program.
Visit Big Bear also plans raptor viewing at Butler Peak, eagle-history activities, a Youth Eagle Ambassador Program and children’s art. Its September 23 announcement says some times, locations and registration details are still being finalized.
Plan your visit
The weekend schedule
October 3–4, 2026 · All times Pacific
Saturday, October 3
Jackie’s commemoration
10 a.m.
Venue opens
10:30 a.m.
Ceremony begins
Around noon
Formal program ends
Until 1:30 p.m.
Community booths
Bear Mountain Ski Resort
43101 Goldmine Drive
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
Free admission · RSVP requested
Sunday, October 4
Wildlife Education Day
10 a.m.–noon
Native seed collection
Big Bear Discovery Center
40971 North Shore Drive
Fawnskin, CA 92333
All ages · RSVP required
10 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Trail-conservation talks
Grays Peak Trailhead
Talks on the hour
Guided birdwatching
Free walk with a Discovery Center naturalist. Check the activity listing for its time and meeting point.
Sunday activities have separate locations and registration.
Schedule checked September 23, 2026. Check the organizer’s listings before traveling.
Some Sunday activities require separate registration or have limited capacity. A Saturday memorial RSVP doesn’t reserve a place at every event.
As of September 23, organizers haven’t announced a ceremony livestream on the event page. The embedded video is the nest camera.
The Green Thumbs calendar lists two more volunteer days after the memorial: October 10 and 24, 2026. These are separate from Wings Over Big Bear. Advance registration is required, and organizers provide participants with the meeting locations.
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