In 1998, Alex Trebek, longtime host of Jeopardy!, donated 74 acres of undeveloped land in the Hollywood Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The property was valued at around $2 million at the time.
The donation was significant because it preserved a large stretch of undeveloped hillside in an area where development was putting increasing pressure on open land. The gift also nearly doubled the amount of public parkland in the immediate area.
But the property was valuable for more than recreation. Conservation officials wanted to protect it as a wildlife corridor, giving animals a route between larger areas of natural habitat.
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Land next to Runyon Canyon
The property is located north of Hollywood Boulevard and east of Nichols Canyon Road, next to Wattles Park and Runyon Canyon Park.
When Trebek donated the land, hikers and cyclists were already using trails across the property. John Diaz, then the acquisitions director for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, said the agency planned to improve those trails after taking control of the land.
