The State : Big Bear Lake Projects Stall

Construction of two residential developments that would destroy old-growth pine trees used as perches by bald eagles at Big Bear Lake has been halted by order of San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge LeRoy Simmons. His order came in response to a complaint filed by Atty. Gen. John K. Van de Kamp alleging that environmental impact reports prepared for the projects by the Big Bear Municipal Water District failed to comply with the state’s Environmental Quality Act. Simmons, who ordered a halt until new reports can be prepared, also concluded that the water district must consider alternative sites and modifications to reduce the projects’ impact on the environment. The developer, Big Bear Properties, could not be reached. But Jeri Mitchell, director of the water district, said the order could delay construction of 80 to 100 residential sites on the northern and southern edge of the lake for “a year or longer.” Federally endangered bald eagles migrate to the lake each winter from nesting grounds in the Pacific Northwest.