The Tale of Lucy Lake

1. The Tale ofLucy Lake

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Just then, two hikers appear. The creatures of the forest gather around and tell the hikers about their problems.

7. "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."

8. "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."

9. “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.

10. "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.

11. People could turn off the lights when they leave the room. • People could not use air conditioning as much. • People could use buses or trains instead of cars. • People could buy cars that do not make the air as dirty.

12. Time passes, and after a while, the forest and lake begin to feel a little better.

13. 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.