Charis van der Heide

Charis van der Heide is a Senior Biologist and Monarch Butterfly Specialist at Althouse and Meade, Inc., overseeing monarch butterfly projects and habitat management plans since April 2020. With extensive experience in monarch research, Charis serves as the Western Monarch Count Regional Coordinator for Xerces Society Inc., managing counts at over 75 overwintering sites in Santa Barbara County. Previous roles include Associate Biologist at Rincon Consultants, where wildlife and botanical surveys were conducted, and Monarch Butterfly Biologist positions at Cal Poly Corporation and Althouse and Meade, focusing on overwintering behaviors and microclimate studies. Charis also coordinated the Monarch Butterfly Docent Program for the City of Goleta and has worked as a Staff Biologist with SAIC. Charis holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University and is involved in ongoing studies at Columbia University and San Francisco State University.