Above: Conceptual drawing of the proposed Living Forest Zoo. You can read the Big Bear Zoo masterplan here (PDF).

Most Fawnskin residents are excited about the proposed move of the Moonridge Animal Park to Fawnskin near  the Discovery Center on the North Shore.

The Big Bear Valley Recreation and Park District  recently funded an additional one million dollars in San Bernardino County General Funds so that now the amount totals $7,325,000. Estimates for the proposed zoo relocation is $19 million.

Fundraising efforts have not been very large scale but the Friends of the Moonridge Zoo have raised $600,000 through private donations.

I remember chatting about this a few years ago and don’t understand the reluctance to go for large corporate donations–deadline for the zoo move is fast approaching and less than half the funds have been raised.

The Environmental Impact Study for the North Shore location is nearing completion and a 45-day public comment period will begin once the draft is released. The U.S. Forest Service still needs to grant a Forest Service permit for the new zoo and other preparations can follow after that.

I was surprised to hear that the Moonridge Animal Park pulled in $10,000 last weekend. You can read more about the little zoo in Big Bear. Current admission is $9 for adults, $6 for seniors and children.

BTW: In case you didn’t catch the change, Don has not been at the zoo for quite a while. I got a phone call from Lake Arrowhead a while back to let me know that he was no longer at the helm at the zoo. I never saw any mention of it anywhere except in an article where someone else was spokesperson for the facility.

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