Forsythe Refuge's Brigantine and Barnegat Divisions were originally two distinct refuges, established in 1939 and 1967 respectively, to protect tidal wetland and shallow bay habitat for migratory water birds. In 1984 they were combined under the Edwin B. Forsythe name, in honor of the late conservationist Congressman from New Jersey.

The refuge's location in one of the Atlantic Flyway's most active flight paths makes it an important link in the vast network of national wildlife refuges administered nationwide by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Its value for the protection of water birds and their habitat continues to increase as people develop the New Jersey shore for our own use. Forsythe Refuge is a part of the Hudson River/New York Bight Ecosystem and The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. In 1986 it was designated a Wetland of International Importance under The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance--otherwise known as the Ramsar Convention.