Wildlife advocates push to cancel fireworks over concerns for eagle family

Wildlife officials say a 4th of July fireworks show at California's Big Bear Lake is threatening the safety of a famous eagle family

Now a local nonprofit is calling to cancel the fireworks, but a local tourist group is pushing back

arguing the city relies on visitors who are drawn to the Independence Day festivities

The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley, which operates a 24-hour live feed monitoring the eagle family

is behind the call to cancel. They say loud noises and flashes from fireworks threaten the

lives of Sister Eaglets, Gizmo and Sunny, as well as their parents, Jackie and Shadow

The group warned of the impact of fireworks on the environment and wildlife, especially the Eagles

in a Facebook post on Monday. The group says it's pushing for the city and its tourism arm

Visit Big Bear to call off this year's show to protect the popular birds. So far, they say efforts

to convince the agency and community partners have failed. The organization also shared a Change.org

petition calling for the show cancellation As of Wednesday morning the page had more than 35 signatures Visit Big Bear says it will move forward with its 4th of July fireworks spectacular The agency CEO Travis Scott says officials must balance

valuable tourism and tradition with conservation efforts. He says the city typically brings in

100,000 tourists for Independence Day. According to data obtained by the LA Times, tourists bring

an estimated $350 million to the local economy annually. Scott also noted they've worked with Friends of Big Bear Valley in the past

He says they canceled the 2022 Memorial Day fireworks and held a drone show instead of fireworks on Labor Day of 2023

Friends of Big Bear Valley say Independence Day fireworks are top of mind

They say the shows in 2022 and 2023 caused Jackie and Shadow to flee their nest

and the two went missing for days before returning. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also warns fireworks can cause animals to end up in dangerous places like roads or lead them to run into buildings or other obstacles

Officials also note litter from fireworks present choking hazards and can be toxic to wildlife

For more on this story, download the Straight Hour News app or visit san.com. For Straight Hour News, I'm Kaylee Carey