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Hi My name is Dust E. Bunny. I dig dirt. You know, the stuff humans 

call "soil". I live in a watershed in Montana, and my home just wouldn't be 

the same without soil. 

A watershed is an area in which all the water flows into one larger body of 

water, such as a river or lake. When the water gets to the river or lake it 

needs to be clean for fish to live in and for farmers and ranchers to irrigate 

with. A watershed needs plenty of healthy vegetation, not just for me to 

eat, but also to keep the soil from eroding and making the water dirty.

This activity book will explain what is needed to make a watershed healthy, 

how plants grow, and ways to keep the soil from eroding. Hop along with 

me and let's learn more about watersheds, plants, and soil. I'll be on every 

page of this activity book.

Can you find me?

Connect the dots to 

finish the rest of my 

body so I'm ready to 

travel along with you.
3
4
5
6
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Silt feels 

silky smooth

Sand feels when wet

coarse

and 

gritty

Clay feels 

sticky when wet

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14

1. _____________ falls from the sky and helps plants grow.

2. Your lawn grass needs ____________ to hold the roots.

3. There are four basic soil textures, one of them is _____________.

4. The soil texture with the largest particle size is _____________.

5. Name one kind of soil erosion _____________.

6. _____________ help reduce soil erosion into streams.

7. Three-fourths of the earth is covered by _____________.

8. _____________ is a home for wildlife.

9. Protection of our natural resources is called _________________.

10. Plants need _____________ to make their leaves green.

11. The water _____________ is nature's way of recycling water.

Word List

rain

sheet

clay

buffers

sand

water

topsoil

habitat

conservation

sunshine

cycle

 need all kinds of things to grow and be healthy. 

Fill in the blanks with words from the list below to continue learning 

about what makes plants healthy.
15

 things are needed to make a watershed healthy. 

Find the following words which help describe a healthy watershed. 

(Hint: some words may be spelled backwards.)

Plants

Grow

Watershed

Soil

Water

Air

Light

Temperature

Nutrients

Climate

Rainfall

Erosion

Wildlife

Livestock

W B M N Q R S T U V X Z W P A C D E H G T

R A I N F A L L F H J L O L Y M N L E A E

S M T G K G E L L A M J W A T E R C S B M

P L I E Y Z T U C W J F C N S O I L F H P

B A C K R D O A B C A S U T S E A C T U E

X L I V E S T O C K E R O S I O N T E A R

O S M R A T H A H E T K E W Y E A H K J A

R C L I M A T E V B E L O L O P O P D O T

E C A N C H J F D X I R A D Y H T A C J U

S T N E I R T U N G G H A E R A L D P S R

U O Y D H L O S H V H B Z W I L D L I F E

Q W E M A Y G T F D S L K J H N B V C X Z
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2. Nutrients, organic matter, and 

temperature are some more things 

that help plants ____.

4. Wind, or moving ____, can cause soil 

erosion.

8. Forests are full of ____.

9. Soil is also called ____.

10. ____, sleet, and snow are all forms of 

precipitation.

11. A ____ or hillside, would be a great 

place for sledding in the winter.

14. Organic matter can be sticks, ____, 

or mulch on the soil surface.

16. A small body of water that flows and 

meanders is called a ____.

18. Erosion reduces water ____.

19. ____ are the part of the plant that helps 

it to get water and nutrients from the 

soil.

21. An animal that lives in the water, such 

as a trout, is a ____.

22. Lack of moisture and severe heat 

cause a ____.

24. Clay is a type of soil that can be very 

____ when wet, and very hard 

when dry.

27. When soil is blown or washed away, 

it is called ____.

Across

1. A ____, or burning, is one way to manage vegetation.

3. When ____ infiltrates soil, it moves through the soil where it can be taken up by plant roots.

5. Crops are grown and livestock are raised on ____.

6. Livestock ____ plants that grow in watersheds.

7. Plant roots increase ____ stability by binding it together.

9. Some animals, like gophers, ____ burrows in the soil for their homes.

10. ____ break down slowly over time to form soil.

12. Rain, sun, and good soil are needed for ____ to grow.

13. Soil ____ is based on the types of particles in the soil and can be determined by the feel of the soil.

15. Farmers plant ____ in the soil that grow into crops.

17. Wildlife's homes can also be called their ____.

20. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are just some of the ____ plants need to grow.

23. ____ like rabbits, elk, and frogs can all share the habitat found in a watershed.

25. Farmers grow and harvest ____ to feed the world.

26. Where people build ____ depends on soil factors such as texture, structure, and drainage.

Down

28. Agriculture is the process of growing crops and ____ to provide food and other products for the world.

16
17

 each blank by matching the number 

to the letter to figure out the message below:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A B C D E F G H I

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

J K L M N O P Q R

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

S T U V W X Y Z

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6 15 21 14 4 1 20 9 15 14

15 6 1 12 12 12 9 6 5

15 14 5 1 18 20 8
18

 have learned a lot throughout this activity book about how 

conserving our natural resources makes a healthy watershed and makes 

my home in Montana a great place to live.

Help me make my way through this maze to my healthy watershed.

start

finish
19

5 8 20 19 9 12 9 15 19

14 15 9 20 1 4 14 21 15 6

5 6 9 12 12 12 1 6 15

8 20 18 1 5 14 15

SOI L

F O

OF AL L L I F E

ON E A R T H

UNDAT I ON

I S T HE

1. ________ falls from the sky and helps plants grow.

2. Your lawn grass needs _________ to hold the roots.

3. There are four basic soil textures, one of them is ________.

4. The soil texture with the largest particle size is _________.

5. Name one kind of soil erosion: _________.

6. __________ help reduce soil erosion into streams.

7. Three-fourths of the earth is covered by _________.

8. __________ is a home for wildlife.

9. Protection our natural resources is called ______________.

10. Plants need ____________ to make their leaves green.

. The water __________ is nature's way of recycling water. 11

Rain

topsoil

clay

sand

sheet

water

conservation

sunshine

cycle

Habitat

Buffers

start

finish

T G H E D C A P W Z X V U T S R Q N M B W

E A E L N M Y L O L J H F L L A F N I A R

M B S C R E T A W J M A L L E G K G T M S

P H F L I O S N C F J W C U T Z Y E I L P

E U T C A E S T U S A C B A O D R K C A B

R A E T N O I S O R E K C O T S E V I L X

A J K H A E Y W E K T E H A H T A R M S O

T O D P O P O L O L E B V E T A M I L C R

U J C A T H Y D A R I X D F J H C N A C E

R S P D L A R E A H G G N U T R I E N T S

E F I L D L I W Z B H V H S O L H D Y O U

Z X C V B N H J K L S D F T G Y A M E W Q

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ock v i l

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o r

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e r t

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t r i

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, 

political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 

communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-

9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

03/04 MT

To request additional copies of this publication:

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

10 East Babcock Street

Federal Building, Room 443

Bozeman, MT 59715-4704

(406) 587-6971 • publications@mt.usda.gov