Dana Stewart Quinney grew up in Ketchum, Idaho. Enchanted by wildflowers and the small lives of wild things, she was taught to flyfish by her father, a master. This inspiration led her to a career in biology. She served as a field biologist in the Idaho Army National Guard, ending up as Natural and Cultural Resources Manager for the State of Idaho Military division. Some of her greatest moments include watching clownfish lay eggs on the Great Barrier Reef; documenting a species of intertidal ants in Mexico; planting thousands of acres of native plants after wildfires; discovering a predatory new species of fairy shrimp; watching arctic foxes and their kits foraging along the Arctic Sea; discovering the life cycle of a rare white flower; learning the mountains and hills, the deserts and canyons of the West.