The

Trash in

Chigger

County

Story by Amanda Robertson

Illustrations by Kelsey Anderson
This publication was produced and printed by:

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Natural Resources Conservation Service

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Columbia, MO 65203

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August 2009

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Special thanks to the South Missouri Water Quality Project 

Office in Ozark, Missouri, for making this booklet possible.
 The Trash in

 Chigger County

Story by Amanda Robertson

Illustrations by Kelsey Anderson
• page 2 •

 nce upon a time 

in Chigger County, 

it was a beautiful day. 

The sun was shining and all of the animals 

of Chigger County were having a 

picnic by Crystal Pond.

O

When the day was over, 

they all said good night 

and went to bed.

That night a soothing rain fell.

• page 4 •

• page 6 •

Bright and early the next morning, 

Wally Raccoon was washing his breakfast 

in Chigger County Creek upstream 

from Crystal Pond. 
He took a big bite

and said, “YUCK!”
He looked down at the water. 

Chigger County Creek was dirty.

“What happened?” he cried. 

He could not eat a dirty breakfast.

• page 8 •

Then he heard Mr. Beaver grumbling, 

so he hurried over to Crystal Pond. 

“Oh bother. Oh dear,” Mr. Beaver 

moaned. “My dam! My dam! 

This stuff is breaking my dam!”

• page 10 •

On the wave of her wing, Mrs. Robin 

passed overhead. 

“Good morning,” she trilled. “Peeyew! 

What is that awful smell?”

Wally Raccoon yelled back, “I don’t know, 

but I can’t wash my food.”

Mr. Beaver shouted, “And my dam is 

breaking. There is something wrong 

with the water. What should we do?”

• page 12 •

Mrs. Robin tweeted, 

“We should ask the 

Wise Old Owl what to do. 

Come on!”

• page 14 •

As the three friends were traveling 

through the forest, they noticed 

Scamper the Squirrel fussing in his tree.

“What’s wrong with the leaves

 on my acorn trees?” he said to himself 

as his tail twitched back and forth. 

“They look very sick. Oh no! That means 

there will be no acorns for me to eat!”

• page 16 •

Below Scamper’s tree, 

Hoppy Rabbit was looking at his clover. 

His clover looked sick too!

• page 18 •
Bear Bear came out 

of the bottom of 

Scamper’s tree. 

“What’s all the fuss 

about? I’m trying 

to sleep.” 
Hoppy Rabbit said, “All of our 

plants are sick and dying, 

even the flowers.”

• page 20 •
“Oh no!” cried Bear Bear. 

“Without the flowers,

my honeybees won’t 

make any honey, and 

I LOVE honey!”

“Oh no!” cried Bear Bear. 

“Without the flowers,

my honeybees won’t 

make any honey, and 

I LOVE honey!”
Bear Bear roared.

Mr. Beaver cleared his throat and said, 

“Why don’t you come with us 

to see Wise Old Owl?” 

• page 22 •

“What are we 

 going to do?!”
“Maybe he can tell us why 

the water is bad and 

the plants are dying.”

So off they went.
Wise Old Owl was sleeping after a 

long night’s flight. Everyone began 

banging on his tree to wake him up.

“We have a big problem! We need 

your help!” they all cried.

“What is wrong, my friends?” 

Wise Old Owl said in a deep, kind voice.

• page 24 •


“The creek is dirty!” said Wally Raccoon.

“My dam is breaking!” said Mr. Beaver.

“The air stinks!” said Mrs. Robin.

“I’m so hungry!” said Wally Raccoon.

“The trees are sick!” said Scamper the Squirrel.

“The clover and flowers are dying!” 

said Hoppy Rabbit. 

“NO HONEY!” cried Bear Bear.

• page 27 •
“Oh my,” said Wise Old Owl, sadly.

“I know what the problem is. 

It’s called TRASH. 

A bigger word for it is POLLUTION.

When I was flying near the humans, I saw them 

throwing all kinds of trash on the ground. 

The rain washed it into the creek, and the 

bad water is making everything sick. 

Soon, there will be nothing to eat in 

Chigger County, and we will have to leave.” 

• page 28 •

“Oh no!” the animals cried, 

“What can we do?”

“We must pick up everything and put it 

in a safe place where it cannot get in 

the water,” Wise Old Owl said. 

“I wish we had a trash can.”

• page 30 •
“Wise Old Owl? I saw a trash can 

in the park over the hill.

Bear Bear can go get it and bring 

it back for us to put the trash into,” 

said Wally Raccoon. 

“Wise Old Owl? I saw a trash can 

in the park over the hill.

Bear Bear can go get it and bring 

it back for us to put the trash into,” 

said Wally Raccoon. 
“Wise Old Owl? That trash is not mine. 

I did not leave it on the ground. Why should 

I pick it up?” asked Scamper the Squirrel.

“Even though it is not yours, it is still 

up to you to clean up your home 

and keep it safe.” Wise Old Owl replied.

• page 32 •

So they all began to work. They worked all day 

to clean up every piece of trash and 

put it in the trash can where it 

could not make the water dirty. 

When the trash can was full, 

Bear Bear carried it back to the park for the 

humans to take to the dump.

• page 34 •

“Good job, my friends!” said Wise 

Old Owl. “Maybe the humans will 

notice our hard work and not throw 

trash on the ground and in 

the water anymore.” 

“I sure hope so!” said Wally Raccoon. 

“My food tastes so much better!” 

• page 36 •
• page 39 •
Soon, Chigger County was back 

to normal – clean and beautiful.

All of the animals of Chigger County 

went back to Crystal Pond to 

celebrate their clean, 

safe and healthy water.

• page 38 •

The End
About the Author

Amanda Robertson 

wrote “The Trash in Chigger

County” while taking a 

children’s literature class 

at Ozarks Technical 

Community College (OTCC). 

The South Missouri Water 

Quality Project’s Early 

Childhood Education Program in Ozark, Missouri, works with OTCC through a partnership 

program to introduce conservation concepts 

to children. Amanda wrote this story as a 

volunteer in that program. She is currently a 

student at Missouri State University and will 

graduate in December 2009 with an education 

degree majoring in Middle School English and 

Mathematics. 

About the Illustrator

Kelsey Anderson thought 

it would be a wonderful 

opportunity to advance 

her art skills in a forum 

that would also help teach 

children the importance of

caring for the environment.

Kelsey became an Earth Team volunteer, 

entered a statewide art competition and was 

selected to illustrate “The Trash in Chigger 

County.” Kelsey is a senior at Rolla High School. 

Following graduation 2010, Kelsey plans to 

attend college and major in biology and 

possibly art. Kelsey is from St. James, Missouri.
Helping People 

Help the Land.