Extension and Research Scope

I coordinate or contribute to all of the NRCA's environmental action programs, with particular emphasis on the Eco-Digital Storytellers, and will soon be reigniting our Teacher Professional Learning program with support from a new EPA Environmental Education grant.

Previously, I led the Conservation Training Partnerships (now-retired), a collaborative program that brought teen and adult volunteers together to apply geospatial technology tools toward local conservation projects in their own community. I worked with land trusts, non-profit organizations, and municipal agencies to mentor/advise many unique and varied intergenerational conservation projects throughout the state.

Before joining the NRCA I had the rewarding experience of teaching biology, chemistry and environmental science at the high school level. The majority of my career, however, has been spent as a research scientist, mainly focused on studying the behavior, ecology and evolution of amphibians and reptiles.

• Freidenfelds, N.A., J. Deitloff and T. Langkilde. 2023. Lessons from Lizards: Adaptation to Introduced Ants. Lessons in Conservation. 13(1)44-60.
• Cisneros, L., Campbell, T., Freidenfelds, N., Lindemann, A., Elliot-Famularo, H., Chadwick, C., Dickson, D., & Park, B. 2023. Eco-digital storytelling: Engaging historically excluded populations in environmental action through mentoring, geospatial technology, and digital media storytelling. Frontiers in Education. 7:1083064.
• Simmons, J., Campbell, T., Moss, D. M., Volin, J. C., Arnold, C., Cisneros, L. M., Chadwick, C., Dickson, D. & Freidenfelds, N. 2022. ‘Part of our DNA': intergenerational family learning in informal science. International Journal of Science Education, Part B Communication and Public Engagement.
• Freidenfelds, N.A., Cisneros, L. M., Cabaniss, A. D., Colby, R., Meadows-McDonnell, M., Arnold, C., Campbell, T., Chadwick, C., Dickson, D., Moss, D., Simmons, J., Singh, A. K., & Volin, J. C. 2022. Pivoting during a pandemic: Transforming in-person environmental STEM field programs into immersive, experiential distance learning. Connected Science Learning, 4(2)
• Cisneros L.M., J. Simmons, T. Campbell, N. Freidenfelds, C. Arnold, C. Chadwick, D. Dickson, D. Moss, L. Rodriguez and J.C. Volin. 2021. Program design principles to support teen-adult community conservation efforts. Frontiers in Education. 6: 674667.
• Urban, M.C., N.A. Freidenfelds and J.L. Richardson. 2020. Microgeographic divergence of functional responses among salamanders experiencing antagonistic selection from apex predators. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287: 20201665.
• Freidenfelds, N.A., Cisneros, L.M., Rodriguez, L., Byung-Yeol, P., Campbell, T., Arnold, C., Chadwick, C., Dickson, Moss, D., Volin, J. and M. Willig. 2020. Investigating Human Impact on Local Water Resources & Exploring Solutions. The American Biology Teacher. 82(9): 613–617.
• Freidenfelds, N.A. 2019. Community connections through conservation. Connecticut Wildlife. 39(6):16-18.
• MacLeod, K.J, N.A. Freidenfelds, G.M. Leighton, and T. Langkilde. 2019. Tree selection is linked to locomotor performance and associated noise production in a lizard. Journal of Zoology. 307(3):195-202. 
  
• Gallagher, A.J., P.F. Trull, M.S. Faherty, N. Freidenfelds, J. Heimbuch and M.J. Cherry. 2019. Predatory behaviors of coyotes (Canis latrans) living in coastal ecosystems. Ethology Ecology & Evolution. 31(2):198-204.
  
• Urban, M.C., J.L. Richardson, N.A. Freidenfelds, D.L. Drake, J.F. Fischer and P.P. Saunders. 2017. Microgeographic adaptation of wood frog tadpoles and potential evolutionary resilience to an expanding predator. Copeia. 105(3):451-461.
  
• Graham, S.P., N.A. Freidenfelds, C.J. Thawley, T.R. Robbins and T. Langkilde. 2017. Are Invasive Species Stressful? The Glucocorticoid Profile of Native Lizards Exposed to Invasive Fire Ants Depends on the Context. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 90(3):328-337.  
  
• Snyder, K.T., N.A. Freidenfelds and T.E.X. Miller. 2014. Consequences of sex-selective harvesting and harvest refuges in experimental meta-populations. Oikos. 123:309–314. 
  
• Urban, M.C., J.L. Richardson and N.A. Freidenfelds. 2014. Plasticity and genetic adaptation mediate amphibian and reptile responses to climate change. Evolutionary Applications. 7:88–103. 
  
• Robbins, T.R., N.A. Freidenfelds and T. Langkilde. 2013. Native predator eats invasive toxic prey: evidence for increased incidence of consumption rather than aversion-learning. Biological Invasions. 15:407–415. 
  
• Freidenfelds, N.A. 2012. Natural history notes: Acris crepitans (Northern Cricket Frog). Fire Ant Envenomation. Herpetological Review. 43:117.
  
• Freidenfelds, N.A., T. Robbins and T. Langkilde. 2012. Evading invaders: the effectiveness of a behavioral response. Behavioral Ecology. 23:659–664.
  
• Graham, S.P., N.A. Freidenfelds, G.M. McCormick and T. Langkilde. 2012. The impacts of invaders: Basal and acute stress glucocorticoid profiles and immune function in native lizards threatened by invasive ants. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 176:400–408. 
  
• Freidenfelds, N.A., J.L. Purrenhage and K. Babbitt. 2011. The effects of clearcuts and forest buffer size on post-breeding emigration of adult wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). Forest Ecology and Management. 261:2115–2122.
  
• Langkilde, T. and N.A. Freidenfelds. 2010. Consequences of envenomation: red imported fire ants have delayed effects on survival but not growth of native fence lizards. Wildlife Research. 37:566–573. 
  
• Freidenfelds, N.A. and T. Langkilde. 2009. Natural history notes: Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern Fence Lizard). Diet. Herpetological Review. 40:439.
  
• Lance, S.L., C. Hagen, T.C. Glenn, N.A. Freidenfelds and T. Langkilde. 2009. Development and characterization of seventeen polymorphic microsatellite loci in the eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus. Conservation Genetics Resources. 1:233–236. 
  
• Skelly, D.K., S.R. Bolden, L.K. Freidenburg, N. Freidenfelds, and R. Levey. 2007. Ribeiroia infection is not responsible for Vermont amphibian deformities. EcoHealth. 4:156–163. 
  
• Skelly, D. K., S.R. Bolden, M.P. Holland, L.K. Freidenburg, N.A. Freidenfelds, and T.R. Malcolm. 2006. Urbanization and disease in amphibians. in Collinge, S.K., and C. Ray, (eds.). Disease Ecology: Community structure and pathogen dynamics. Oxford University Press. 264 p.