I spent a lot of time when I was growing up trapping with my dad. I think my interest in science really started outside of the classroom. My dad has a degree in fisheries and wildlife, so he was always explaining the biology of animals and insects to me. I remember when I was about six years old fishing in the river and my father plucking caddis off the rocks in the water. He explained to me the cycle of their lives and how they went through the metamorphosis. Also, I remember standing there watching him in the trapping shed while he skinned the beaver. The first thing he would do was cut off his feet and give them to me. I would always look at my toenails and the cobwebs between my toes. He would explain the purpose of things, like spider webs, and then show me a foot from another animal to show me that each animal was different. I began to understand that almost everything had a purpose and my curiosity peaked. Another thing I remember was watching my father clean the fish. He always cut into their stomachs so I could see what they ate. I always felt like I could better understand the habitats animals lived in and the reason for their anatomy based on what I learned from being with my parents.