Kimberly Smith, a professor of Environmental Studies, began incorporating the Arboretum into academics about five years ago. Although Professor Smith does not use the Arb for her academic research, she finds it valuable for “exploring policy and ethical issues involved in environmental management” and finds that the Arboretum lends itself to many of the questions and issues explored in her course Environmental Ethics. Students go on an Arb tour, and walk alone in the Arb, and write and reflect on these experiences. The Arb allows her class to study “how learning about a landscape affects one’s relationship to it”, which engages students in lessons on environmental aesthetics. The Arb also enables students to conduct research projects concerning the ethical implications of environmental management, considering questions like: “is allowing deer hunting ethical? How should feral cats be dealt with? Should the Director implement an assisted migration program to help preserve endangered species? Is using fire an ethical land management practice?” For Professor Smith and her students, the Arb facilitates contemplation of our relationships with the natural world, and enables Professor Smith to consider “the meaning of ‘natural’ and to explore the many different values that are found in the landscape”.