The town of Atikokan has been floundering ever since the iron mines shut down in 1979 and 1980 -- a result of changes in the way steel is manufactured. I was not yet ten years old when I watched the blood red ore wash off the trees for good. Fortunately, since my father worked at the municipal pool and my mother at the high school library, my family was not immediately affected by the closures. But eventually, of course, everyone felt the loss as people began to move away. Only now do I realize how privileged I was to grow up there, with no limits placed on my exploration of the natural world, including the parts scarred by industry. My roots in Atikokan, my upbringing there, continue to shape who I am and what I do.