Virginia Rettig, the manager of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, will present at the April 13 installment of Science Saturday at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences. The event will take place on Zoom at 11 a.m. During her presentation, Rettig will discuss new techniques for marsh restoration and ways to help migratory birds in one’s backyard.
Rettig has a strong background in environmental science and wildlife biology. She holds a bachelor’s degree 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. Her research has focused on the use of agricultural fields by shorebirds.
Rettig began her career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1995 at the Ecological Services Field Office in Lafayette, La., where she later moved to the refuge division and was stationed at the Cape May National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey. 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 serves as its manager.
In addition to her work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rettig is passionate about creating habitat for wildlife in her free time through activities such as garden design and travel exploration of natural areas
