Create a Wildlife Habitat in Your Yard
When: Wednesday September 27, 2023 - 7 pm
Location: Holland Municipal Building

Presented by: Kathleen Kerwin, Associate Wildlife Biologist at Rutgers Wildlife Conservation Management Program

 I have worked for the Rutgers Wildlife Conservation and Management Program for the past 8 years.  I was originally hired to perform bat research and develop bat related educational programming, and have probably handled 1000s of bats over the years! This  research has taken me all the way from abandoned mines in the Adirondacks, to Colorado and Kentucky. Educating the public about the myths and mis-conceptions about bats has also been one of my most rewarding experiences. Over the years I have also gotten to trap foxes and put GPS collars on them, monitor migratory shorebirds along Delaware Bay, and help implant tracking monitors to venomous copperhead snakes. I am constantly learning through my job.

Another huge facet of my job is conducting restoration work, particularly in flood prone suburban areas that have been bought out by the state to be preserved as open space. Over the years I have learned about the importance of native plants and how they support the bulk of biodiversity in an area. I have been able to transfer this knowledge to my own property which I bought 3 years ago.  It’s been a hard but rewarding experience to replace non-native plants with natives, and seeing an increase in birds and pollinators in my own yard is so exciting.