In 1994, Jack Nicholson donated 60 acres of Los Angeles land that could have become four homes; decades later, it remains protected habitat |

In 1994, Jack Nicholson donated 60 acres of property to conserve the green stretches near Mudholland Drive.Image credit (Instagram)​

Veteran icon Jack Nicholson, who is best known for his work in ‘The Shining,’ once donated around 60 acres of land that was originally under his name. The actor has taken the underdeveloped land located in Coldwater Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy back in 1994.The plot, located near Franklin Canyon, had already received city approval for subdivision into four luxury home sites, which would have netted millions on the open market. However, Nicholson still donated the land to the conservatory to save the green, neighboring forest. Not only that but at the time, the veteran icon made the donation anonymously.

Jack Nicholson donated a 60-acre plot in 1994 anonymously

The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that someone had made a donation of 60 acres of land to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. However, at the time, no one knew who the donor was since everything had been done anonymously, and there was no way to track down the person behind the donation. The land had native oak woodland and deer habitat on it, and the conservancy had been buying out additional pockets of land in the same area to help maintain a continuous stretch of wild habitat located between Griffith Park to the east and Topanga State Park to the west.At first no one knew it was Nicholson who made the hefty donation; however, after verifying some internal sources, multiple officials, including John A. Diaz (then the land-acquisition chief for the Conservancy), all confirmed that the icon had made the donation personally. However, at the time, Jack’s manager had declined to issue any official comments about the matter.

What happened to the 60-acre land that Jack Nicholson donated?

Had the pre-approved lots been built there instead of the clear stretch of land that still thrives, this would have been one of Los Angeles’s most expensive real estate stretches. According to reports shared online, the property to date has become a major part of the stretch that helps conserve an important portion of the mountains’ new Mudholland Drive. The property is now filled with native oak woodlands, chaparral, and natural habitat that supports local fauna like mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, and various bird species.It was unclear for a long time as to who had made the donations, especially since Nicholson’s business manager had refused to make any comments about the matter. According to another report published later on by The Times, Turnley Walker, who was the chairman of the Longridge-Alomar Neighborhood Committee at the time, revealed that Nicholson was the donor. The land was referred to as a Nicholson donation.