Dr. Christopher (Kitt) Heckscher is Associate Professor of Environmental Science & Ecology at Delaware State University and the Institutional Project Director of the NOAA EPP Environmental Cooperative Science Center at DSU.
His lab’s research includes the effect of sea level rise and climate change on coastal stopover sites for migratory birds, as well as long-term studies of the behavioral ecology and migratory connectivity of Catharusthrushes. Dr. Heckscher is also an expert on the inventory and conservation of rare terrestrial and wetland-associated invertebrates especially Lampyridae (fireflies), Odonata (damselflies and dragonflies), and Lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers, moths [esp. Catocalaand Papaipema]). He has extensive experience in zoological assessments of Mid-Atlantic natural areas and in conducting field research specifically aimed at providing data for informed land management decisions.
Previously, he served as Delaware’s State Zoologist for 12 years for The Nature Conservancy and Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, where he initiated, developed, and maintained the Delaware state zoological database and conducted field inventories of rare species. Kitt also has 9 years of experience as a zoologist for The Nature Conservancy.
