If fish, birds, insects and other non-human beings could speak on their own behalf to urge protection for their habitat, what would they say?

That was the final project in the Environmental Ethics class taught this semester by Nora Boyd, Ph.D. professor of philosophy. Inspired by the "interspecies democracy meeting" concept developed by British environmental activists, Saints hosted a Creature Council on December 2 to present ethical arguments on behalf of wildlife from the Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, N.Y.

Students spoke wearing masks they made in a series of workshops with guest artist Grace Lang. Represented were a luna moth, pickerel frog, American kestrel, clymene moth, great blue heron, spotted salamander, brook trout, and boblink.

"Through this project, students got to combine philosophy, art, and community engagement," said Boyd. "They had the chance to apply philosophical frameworks they learned about in the course to argue for the conservation of wild creatures in agricultural settings, following inspiring research by our community partner the Hawthorne Valley Farmscape Ecology Program. I loved seeing the students get into character, I think they really got attached to their creatures!"

The Farmscape Ecology Program is opening a new biodiversity trail through the Hawthorne Valley Farm to highlight how management practices on active farmland can make room for nature.

"I enjoyed doing something creative while learning about how and why we should help the many creatures that call Hawthorne Valley, and farms like it, home," said Seth Colucciello '26, who paired up with Colton Sober '27 to represent the bobolink. "These creatures have interests and can be seriously harmed or helped by simple changes we make to our farming practices, so it is important to consider them and their needs when making decisions that will affect them."

Given her program of academic study, the Creature Council was the perfect project for Sam Castle '26. She was part of the group advocating as the American kestrel.

"As a creative arts major with an environmental studies minor, I really loved making the mask and combining art and environmentalism," she said. "This was a great project for the class to have fun creating and learning about each of our creatures."

Siena's Laudato Sí Center for Integral Ecology supported the Creature Council project this semester.

"The students did a very good job in a project where they could exercise their prophetic imagination, use critical thinking skills, and sharpen their moral and ethical sensibilities as they spoke on behalf of other members of Earth's community of life, expanding their horizons of the moral universe and making the case for a world that is more inclusive, just, compassionate and sustainable," said Br. Jacek Orzechowski, O.F.M., associate director.