Ways to Give

You can help the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory protect our region’s natural environment in many ways. However you choose to support our work – through a direct gift, tribute gift in honor or in memory of someone, leaving a bequest in your will  – you will make a real difference. LMBO can only accomplish our work with the support of people like you. Our donors and supporters provide critical dollars to keep our programs and conservation efforts going.  You are supporting coordinated research, monitoring, and education that greatly impacts birds and the lands they depend on.  For any questions about giving, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  We’d love to hear from you!

wood thrush on tree branch

Wood Thrush

Donate Online

It is easy and safe to donate online

Other Ways to Donate

The Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Fund is a permanent endowment that was created to provide a perpetual source of funding to advance the conservation of birds and bats in Wisconsin and throughout the Western Great Lakes Region.

The endowment is managed by the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. Contributions to the Fund are tax-deductible and can be made either by donating online at wisconservation.org or by sending a check to this address:

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Attn: Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 2317
Madison, WI 53701

IRA owners age 70½ or over may transfer up to $100,000 per year tax-free directly to an eligible charity such as the Observatory so long as the gift is complete on or before December 31 of the calendar year in which an IRA owner chooses to utilize the IRA Charitable Rollover gift vehicle for tax purposes.

Transfers can be made either to the Observatory or to the Observatory's endowment. To make a transfer to the Observatory, have your IRA administrator mail a check to this address:

Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
PO Box 487
Port Washington, WI 53074

To make a transfer to the Observatory's endowment, have your IRA administrator mail a check to this address:

Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
Attn: Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
P.O. Box 2317
Madison, WI 53701

Be sure to include a letter that states your name and the purpose of your gift (e.g., Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Fund) and notes that it is a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA.

If you care for the Observatory and want to help support it for future generations, consider leaving a legacy gift behind by including the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Fund in your will. To leave a bequest to the Fund, simply incorporate the following language in your estate plans:

“I give [describe the gift] to the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin [federal tax id # 39-1572034], a nonprofit corporation organized and existing under the laws of Wisconsin and with a principal mailing address of PO Box 2317, Madison, WI 53701. This gift shall be designated to the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory Fund.”

Donations to the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory., are tax-deductible. For more information on how to make a gift or a bequest, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (414) 698-9108

All donations to the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.