Paul Curtis
Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment

Dr. Paul D. Curtis is a Professor of Wildlife Science in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University. He received a Ph.D. in Zoology from North Carolina State University in 1990, and a M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in 1981. His research interests include human-wildlife conflicts in suburban, forested, and agricultural landscapes, wildlife fertility control, and resolving community-based wildlife issues. He has supervised research projects dealing with white-tailed deer, black bears, colonial water-birds, urban goose management, and bird damage to fruit crops. His extension programming has included a variety of wildlife-related booklets, videos, and fact sheets. Dr. Curtis is a co-author of the National Wildlife Control Training Program (https://nwctp.com/ ), and a Certified Wildlife Biologist® with The Wildlife Society.
Education
- 1992 Certified Wildlife Biologist®, The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, MD
- 1990 Ph.D. Zoology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
- 1981 M.S. Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
- 1978 B.S. Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Recent Research
Curtis, P. D., D. L. Bergman, A. Barker, D. Bogan, M. A. Bonnell, P. Canac-Marquis, D. Drake, D. Kay, B. F. Wakeling, and H. B. White 2025. Urban coyotes as a source of conflict with humans: an evaluation of common management practices. Human–Wildlife Interactions Monograph 5:1-54.
Jackson, W. E., A. E. Hopkins, R. M. Jodziewicz, S. A. Oswald, R. S. Hartman, M. S. Labarr, P. D. Curtis, and J. M. Arnold. 2025. Can artificial light deter nocturnal predators at common tern nesting sites? An experimental study. Waterbirds47(4):1–9. https://bioone.org/journals/waterbirds/volume-47/issue-4
Curtis, P. D., S. E. Hygnstrom, and K. C. Vercauteren. 2024. Collaborative approaches in wildlife damage management. The Wildlife Professional May/June, pp.43-47.
Curtis, P. D., and B. C. Eshenaur. 2022. Trico: a novel repellent for preventing deer damage to ornamental shrubs. Human-Wildlife Interactions 16(1):22-28.https://doi.org/10.26077/f685-1956
Curtis, P. D., and L. A. Braband. 2022. Management of nuisance geese on school properties and public spaces. Journal of Integrated Pest Management13(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmac025
Tidball, K. G., M. Tidball, and P. Curtis. 2022. Locally procured wild game culinary trends in the US: A study of the ruffed grouse as epicurean entre and accompanying nutritional analysis. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 6:852163. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.852163
Losey, J., C. Chen, J. Davalos, A. Davis, J. Deitsch, J. Gertin, J. Gorneau, E. Hallock, Z. Kim, E. Kubinski, N. Laurenz, S. Li, A. O’Brien, L. Richardson, S. Vincent, S. Wang, E. Yarhouse, and P. Curtis. 2022. Insects and spiders on the web: monitoring and mitigating online exploitation of invertebrate species and services. Global Ecology and Conservation 36e02098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02098
Awards & Honors
- Distinguished Service Award, 2023, The Wildlife Society, Wildlife Damage Management Work Group, Louisville, KY
- 2019: Environmental Programming Cooperator Award, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, Syracuse, NY
- 2017: Outstanding Accomplishments in Extension/Outreach, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- 2016: 2nd Place National Winner, and 1st Place Eastern Region Winner, Program Excellence through Research Award, National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences; “Leveraging the Locavore Movement: Exploring Wild Game and Fish Consumption and Hunter/Angler Recruitment and Retention”
- 2012: Educator of the Year, National Wildlife Control Operator’s Association for the National Wildlife Control Training Program book and online curriculum
- 2008: Northeast Extension Directors’ Award of Excellence for 2007, for the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
- 2005: Outstanding Professional Award, The Wildlife Society, New York Chapter
- 2004: Extension Publication Award, NY Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals, Best Practices for Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators: A Training Manual
- 2004: Extension Publication Award, American Society for Horticulture Sciences, Pumpkin Production Guide
- 2004: Outstanding Professional Award, Northeast Association of Wildlife Damage Biologists
- 2002: Silver Telly Broadcast Communication Award, Bat Management Videotape
Courses Taught
- NTRES 4280/6280 Principles and Practices of Applied Wildlife Science
Contact Information
Retiring June 30, 2025
Fernow Hall 222
Ithaca, NY 14853
pdc1 [at] cornell.edu
Additional Links
Paul in the news

News
- Cornell AgriTech
- Natural Resources and the Environment
- Plants

News
- Lab of Ornithology
- Department of Communication
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences