High in the mountains, deep in the

forest, lives Lucy Lake. Lucy is a large,

cold lake with many different plants and
animals living in and around her.
Sammy Spruce lives on Lucy Lake’s
shore. He is a big, strong tree can
withstand fierce winds. What he
loves most are the clear air, clean
rain, and rich soil that he depends
on for food.
 Tommy Trout lives in Lucy Lake. He eats
mosquito eggs, dragonflies, snails and some
plants. What he loves most is the wide
variety of insect foods he has to eat.
Frannie Frog lives in and around Lucy Lake.
She eats flies and other insects. What she
loves most are the crisp, clean water and
making friends with other frogs.
 Wendy Wind is a frequent visitor to Lucy
Lake. She blows from the west to the east,
always bringing something in the air with
her. She loves to bring clean, fresh air to
Lucy Lake.
Raphael Rain sometimes visits the Lake as
rain. When it is cold, he visits the lake as
fog. What he loves most is giving his clean
water to all plants and animals in the
forest.
 On a normal day, the plants and animals
at Lucy Lake have enough food and clean
water to keep them healthy. The wind
carries pure air, and the rain comes down
clear and clean.
But lately, Lucy Lake and her friends have
not been feeling very well.
 All the plants and animals of the forest gather
together to talk about the problem. "Why are we
sick?" asks Frannie Frog. "What is doing this to
us?" asks Sammy Spruce. "What can we do?" asks
Lucy Lake. No one has any answers.
 Just then, two hikers
appear. The creatures of
the forest gather around
and tell the hikers about
their problems. "We are
hungry," "We're tired and
weak,"

"Our babies are sick," the plants and animals

complain. "Can you help us?" they all ask. The
hikers both nod their heads. "Yes," one hiker
says. "I think I know what the problem is," he
says. "It's acid rain."
"Acid rain comes from chemicals in the air, or
'pollution.' A lot of this pollution comes from
power plants that burn fossil fuels, like coal,
to make electricity. We use this electricity to
make our lights and our TVs work. Pollution
also comes from the cars and trucks people
drive. This pollution also causes acid rain."
 "So, even though I don't want to, I help
pollution travel long distances through the
air!" says Wendy Wind. "And whatever's in
the air falls from the sky in my raindrops!"
cries Raphael Rain.
 "If you can help us think of solutions to
the problem we will deliver a message to
other people about how they can clean up
our environment," one hiker says.
 With the help of the plants and
animals, the two hikers make a list of
ideas for saving Lucy Lake and her
friends.
Time passes, and after a while, the
forest and lake begin to feel a little
better.
 And the next time the hikers climb up the
mountains to Lucy Lake, they smile at what they
find. "We're glad things have started to change,"
one hiker says. "And we're glad you helped us
make a difference," says the other.