Dr. Nicolette Cagle is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology & Environmental Education at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. A dedicated naturalist and communicator, Cagle is the author of Saving Snakes. Her courses focus on natural history and are designed to be inclusive (see How to Create a Culturally Inclusive Syllabus & Course). Cagle’s research emphasizes applied conservation ecology, particularly herpetofauna and wildlife surveys across the globe, as well as environmental education and identity. Currently, she serves as the Director of Research Translation for the Duke Superfund Center and leads the Nicholas School’s Durham K-12 Engagement initiatives. Cagle has served as the inaugural Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Director of the Environmental Science Summer Program at Duke, and was the founding Director of the NSOE Communications Studio.

Check out Saving Snakes: Snakes and the Evolution of a Field Naturalist. Looking for discussion questions or a video introduction to the book? Visit Duke Summer Reads 2023. 

Education.

Dr. Nicki Cagle is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology & Environmental Education at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Her ecological training began at The Grove, a nature preserve in Illinois, where she worked as a naturalist and educator. She earned her B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois – Urbana, graduating summa cum laude in three years. Before pursuing her doctoral studies, she served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Knoxville, TN, focusing on water quality policy and science, and also volunteered at The Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon, FL.

Dr. Cagle completed her Ph.D. in Duke University’s Program in Ecology, specializing in statistics. Her dissertation research investigated the multi-scale distributions and conservation status of snakes in the North American tallgrass prairie, blending landscape ecology’s quantitative methods with the field-based conservation biology approach (see 2008 paper).

Dr. Nicki Cagle is committed to environmental education on both local and global levels. In 2021, she was named Environmental Educator of the Year by the North Carolina Environmental Educators. She has completed additional training in environmental education and natural history, including North Carolina Environmental Education Certification (2007); Native Plant Studies certificate from the North Carolina Botanical Garden (2012);  National Association for Interpretation Certified Interpretive Trainer (2016); Kamana I Naturalist Certificate from the Wilderness Awareness School (2016); and the Master Naturalist Program (2022) with the Montana Museum of Natural History. She has also explored the internal dimensions of human connection to nature through the Inner Life of the Child in Nature program, offered by the Center for Education, Imagination, and the Natural World, and she examined the U.S. landscape of K-12 education as a North Carolina Science Leadership Fellow from 2012 to 2014.

Additional Background. In 2011, Dr. Nicki Cagle joined Duke’s Thompson Writing Program (TWP) as a Lecturing Fellow, where she received intensive training in pedagogical methods. Through TWP, she developed interdisciplinary courses, such as Endangered Ecosystems of North Carolina, From Woods to Words, and European Environmentalism that empowered students to complete real-world research and service-learning projects. During this time, Cagle also initiated a research program in environmental education.

By 2013, Cagle was invited to join the faculty of the Nicholas School of the Environment, teaching courses that span natural history, like Forest Measurements and Wildlife Surveys, and communication, including Writing for Environmental Professionals. Her teaching and research, following in the tradition of naturalist communicators like Aldo Leopold and E.O. Wilson, emphasize the integration of science and communication.

Cagle has been involved in various community projects, such as building a footbridge at Occoneechee Mountain State Park and teaching biology and English in a small town in Tanzania. For 10 years, she authored a bi-monthly natural history newsletter for the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association and led nature walks for the organization. She has also taught courses, advised students in the Native Plant certificate program, and collaborated with Duke University freshmen to host a North Carolina Natural Communities exhibit at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.

Cagle has a deep passion for foreign cultures and languages, which has driven her to become a CQ Certified Facilitator trained by the Cultural Intelligence Center (2022), study several languages,  and travel to all 50 states and over 55 countries. On weekends, she enjoys spending time in nature, writing, reading, visiting historical sites, and exploring local museums with her family.