The Martin Miller Fund

Photo courtesy of Skagit Land Trust

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The Martin Miller Fund

The Martin Miller Fund was started in 1987 for the purpose of acquiring habitat to be protected in perpetuity for plants, animals, birds, fish, and their ecosystems. The fund has helped preserve extensive habitat in the region including wintering habitat for eagles on the Skagit River, a nature reserve on Lummi Island, and a wildlife corridor on Bainbridge Island, among many other land parcels. 

Request for Proposals

Birds Connect Seattle’s Martin Miller Fund periodically seeks applications for grants to help acquire wildlife habitat to be protected in perpetuity. Protection of the habitat value must be a primary purpose of the acquisition, and is usually done by an approved conservation easement. Other forms of protection are occasionally approved. The conservation easement or other protection must prohibit activities that would interfere with the habitat value of the proposed acquisition. We also usually require that, if the preservation purposes can no longer be met and the property is sold, the portion of the sales proceeds equal to our portion of the original purchase price must be used to purchase additional wildlife habitat.

Martin Miller Funds may only be used to help pay the purchase price for the property. For example, we can’t provide stewardship funds or closing costs. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $35,000; occasionally more. We will not be running a spring 2023 grant cycle. We will update this page with any future RFPs, when funding becomes available.

For more information, please contact Bob Sieh, bobsieh@earthlink.net, 206-818-4789.

Past Awards

Birds Connect Seattle has granted nearly $600,000 from the Martin Miller Fund since its inception.

2010-Present
Year Amount Collaboration Description/Location
2021 $25,000 Kittitas Conservation Trust  Cottonwood Cove, Cle Elum 
2021 $30,000 Skagit Land Trust  Moon Uplands Plot, Fidalgo Island
2021 $25,000 Columbia Land Trust  Ponderosa forest, Klickitat County
2018 $15,000 Columbia Land Trust Seal Slough Project – Phase 2
2016 $40,000 Columbia Land Trust Seal Slough Project
2014 $30,000 Skagit Land Trust Bell Property Purchase
2012 $25,000 Lummi Island Heritage Trust Otto Preserve, Lummi Island
2012 $15,000 Vashon Maury Island Land Trust Whispering Firs Bog, Vashon Island
2011 $20,000 Whatcom Land Trust North Fork of Nooksack River, Whatcom County
2000-2009
Year Amount Collaboration Description/Location
2006 $35,000 Capitol Land Trust Black River Burquist, Thurston County
2005 $20,000 Wild Salmon Center Wild Salmon Center, Portland, Oregon
2003 $50,000 Cascade Conservation Partnership Yakima River, near Lake Easton
2002 $20,000 Trumpeter Swan Society Hines Marsh Gray’s Harbor
2001 $7,500 Vashon-Maury Land Trust Christensen Creek, Vashon-Maury Island
2001 $20,000 The Land Conservancy Bear Creek Headwaters (Lloyd/Hines Marsh/Ledbetter)
2000 $30,000 Lummi Island Heritage Trust Lummi Island/Otto Farm
2000 $25,000 The Nature Conservancy White Creek
2000 $36,500 The Nature Conservancy Moses Coulee
2000 $50,000 NW Ecosystem Alliance Loomis Forest
1990-1999
Year Amount Collaboration Description/Location
1999 $20,000 Grays Harbor Audubon Humptulips Property
1999 $23,500 Seattle Audubon Society Carnation Marsh
1998 $25,000 The Nature Conservancy Grant County
1997 $20,000 Bainbridge Island Land Trust Wildlife Corridor Parcel
1995 $5,750 Vashon-Maury Land Trust Vashon-Maury Island Heronry
1993 $25,000 The Nature Conservancy Grouse Lek
1993 $5,000 Vashon-Maury Land Trust Vashon-Maury Island Heronry
1990 $25,000 The Nature Conservancy Barnaby Slough, Skagit River