Will urban sprawl spread so far that most people lose all touch with nature? 

Will the day come when the only bird a typical American child ever sees is a canary in a pet shop window? 

When the only wild animal he knows is a rat -- glimpsed on a night drive through some city slum?

 When the only tree he touches is the cleverly fabricated plastic evergreen that shades his gifts on Christmas morning? 
~Frank N. Ikard

The Community of Big Bear Valley
 is the largest community in the United States
that is completely surrounded by National Forest land.

It is a privilege to be a part of this mountain community,
 this most unique Wildland-Urban interface,
where forested lands overlap and abut 
thoughtful urban development.

Surrounded by beauty,
with over 300 days a year of blue skies and sunshine,
we who love this valley and are in the center 
of this forest-urban ecosystem.

We have an obligation 
to protect the forest that surround us
and the wildlife that make their home here.

They were here first.

We are in the center of this forest-urban ecosystem.
Not only do we live in an island in the sky,
but we are an island community in a sea forest!

Big Bear Valley

A unique richness of our Big Bear Valley is its plant diversity, which is directly related to its topography.  Plant life ranges from the largest Lodgepole Pine to desert cactus, both within a few short miles apart.  

In just one acre, there are over 125 plant species -- we're talking tropical rainforest diversity!  And, our Valley grows almost 25% of all of plant species in the State of California.

>> Click here for an excellent graphic that 
depicts our various plant communities

At Marker 15 on The Woodland Trail, we are standing on the dry, south facing slopes of Big Bear Valley, and this  is why this is called a dry woodland trail.  It is lined with drought-tolerant plants like Pinyon Pine, Jeffrey Pine and desert cactus.  

Yet, across us is the wetter, north facing slopes of the Valley (no accident that the ski slopes are on that side).  Because it is wetter, it is lusher with its subalpine meadows and wildflowers, bracken fern, Sugar Pine, snow flowers, wild roses and even wild orchids (believe me, we saw them with our own eyes!).  

To our left are the wetlands of  Stanfield Marsh, Erwin Lake and Baldwin Lake.  Further left beyond the wetlands is the golden high desert know as the Mojave Desert.  

We are smack dab in the middle of an incredibly dynamic eco-system.  And, we are a part of it.  May we be a part of it with grace and consideration.

>> Wildland/Urban Interface:  Smokey the Bear was wrong

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I  Big Bear Lake