In 1994, The Shining star Jack Nicholson anonymously gave 60 acres approved for four homes; its oak woodland became public parkland in a planned Griffith-to-Topanga wildlife corridor

Jack Nicholson gave 60 acres of undeveloped land in Coldwater Canyon to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in January 1994. The land was in the hills above Studio City, and frontage was along the north side of Mulholland Drive and the west side of Coldwater Canyon Boulevard. At the time, conservancy officials did not identify the donor, but two sources that were familiar with the transaction identified Nicholson, while his business manager declined to comment. The agency described the parcel as an undeveloped ridgeline that had native oak woodland and deer habitat. The conservancy was acquiring additional parcels that would help maintain a continuous stretch of wild habitat between Griffith Park to the east and Topanga State Park to the west.Four homes had already been approvedJohn A. Diaz was the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's land-acquisition chief at that time, and said that a four-lot subdivision had already been approved for the property. Instead of four new residential lots, the acreage would become available for public use. The parcel occupied a ridgeline between Mulholland Drive and Ventura Boulevard, which is east of the San Diego Freeway. The 1994 report said it represented one of the larger remaining undeveloped stretches in that part of the Santa Monica Mountains.Conservancy officials identified an extensive native oak woodland and said the property provided habitat for deer. Its value extended beyond its own boundaries because it bordered other parcels that the agency had acquired.Nicholson's name was initially kept out of the announcementJoseph T. Edmiston, the agency's executive director, would only describe the person as a generous benefactor, while Nicholson's business manager also declined to identify the source of the land. Turnley Walker, who was the chairman of the Longridge-Alomar Neighborhood Committee, said Nicholson was the donor, and another person familiar with the transaction independently gave the same account to the Times. A later Times report referred to the 60 acres directly as a Nicholson donation.That later account was published January 17, 1994, and also placed the gift among a series of celebrity land donations to the conservancy. It described Nicholson as having given 60 acres of parkland in Coldwater Canyon above Sherman Oaks, alongside Barbra Streisand's Malibu donation and Merv Griffin's proposed 104-acre gift in Benedict Canyon.The acreage became one piece of a larger habitat networkA March 1994 Los Angeles Times overview of the conservancy's acquisitions listed the Nicholson gift as 60 acres in Coldwater Canyon in 1994, and the same table recorded earlier donations from Dick Clark, Warren Beatty and Barbra Streisand, as well as purchases of larger tracts elsewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains. The article described the acquisitions aimed at preserving a continuous swath of wildlife habitat between Griffith Park and Topanga State Park, which meant that individual donations could serve as links between larger areas of protected land, particularly in the fragmented hills around Los Angeles. Four residences had already been approved, but the transfer removed those lots from the development equation and placed the acreage under public conservation management.Coldwater Canyon remains part of the public open-space systemCurrent Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority records list Coldwater Canyon Open Space - Mulholland and Mulholland Coldwater among the properties it maintains, with parcels along Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Mulholland Drive. The agency's current records also show ongoing vegetation-management work in the Mulholland Coldwater area. A 2025 MRCA fuel-modification document lists several parcels under the Mulholland Coldwater name, including properties along Mulholland Drive.The 1994 donation therefore was one acquisition in a larger attempt to keep the Santa Monica Mountains from becoming a series of disconnected residential pockets. At the time of the gift, the conservancy's stated objective was to preserve habitat running from Griffith Park toward Topanga State Park. Nicholson's 60 acres occupied part of that landscape, with its oak woodland and deer habitat protected instead of being divided into the four homes that had already been approved.Looking for trusted parenting advice? Follow TOI Parenting Circle on Instagram for expert guidance, relatable stories, and practical tips delivered every day.