Virginia Rettig, the manager of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, will be presenting at the April 13 installment of Science Saturday at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Zoom. During her presentation, Rettig will discuss new techniques for marsh restoration and ways to help migratory birds in one’s backyard.
Rettig has a background in environmental and forest biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., as well as a master’s degree in wildlife biology from Louisiana State University. She has focused her research on the use of agricultural fields by shorebirds.
Rettig’s career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began in 1995 at the Ecological Services Field Office in Lafayette, La., where she worked on various projects related to wetland ecology and wildlife management. She later moved to the refuge division and was stationed at the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, where she managed several important bird areas for migratory birds such as sandpipers and plovers. After working as an assistant refuge supervisor in the regional office in Hadley, Mass., she moved to the Forsythe Refuge in 2010, where she currently manages over 48,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands and forests that provide critical habitat for numerous species of birds, fish and other wildlife.
In her free time, Rettig enjoys creating habitat for wildlife in her garden, exploring natural areas through travel, and volunteering to support teachers and promote STEM education in South Jersey through the American Association of University Women
