Join Our first May Book Club Meeting.

Tomorrow Evening: Tuesday, May 14, 8:00 PM ET

Didn’t Get to Finish …Or Even Read the Book? 

That’s OK! Join Our Discussion Anyway!

All Are Welcome.

Join NOAA Planet Stewards on Tuesday, May 14th at 8:00 PM ET to discuss Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis  with Planet Stewards educators from all across the United States …and even some other countries ;>) A lifelong acolyte of the natural world, Annie Proulx brings her witness and research to the subject of wetlands and the vitally important role they play in preserving the environment—by storing the carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. Fens, bogs, swamps, and marine estuaries are crucial to the earth’s survival, and in four illuminating parts, Proulx documents their systemic destruction in pursuit of profit. In a vivid and revelatory journey through history, Proulx describes the fens of 16th-century England, Canada’s Hudson Bay lowlands, Russia’s Great Vasyugan Mire, and America’s Okeefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. She introduces the early explorers who launched the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and writes of the diseases spawned in the wetlands—the Ague, malaria, Marsh Fever. A sobering look at the degradation of wetlands over centuries and the serious ecological consequences, this is “an unforgettable and unflinching tour of past and present, fixed on a subject that could not be more important” (Bill McKibben).

Meeting Time: 8:00 PM Eastern Time
Video Conference Log In: meet.google.com/wnf-wuxm-dom
Phone Dial In #: (‪US‬) ‪+1 401-285-4760‬
Pin: 743 337 488#‬

We look forward to you joining us and discussing Fen, Bog & Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis with us.

Remember, you don’t have to have read the book to join us. All are welcome! 

Discussion questions are posted below

Find the dates and selections for the remaining 2023-2024 academic year book club meeting on the NOAA Planet Stewards Upcoming Events Page.

See previous book club selections and discussion questions in our NOAA Planet Stewards Book Club Archive.

Sign up to receive reminder announcements on the NOAA Planet Stewards Mailing list!

Discussion Questions:

1. How are fens, bogs, and swamps similar? How are they different?

2. What’s your experience with wetlands? What are they like in your region?

3. The peat in wetlands is able to sequester (absorb and hold onto) large amounts of carbon, keeping it from the atmosphere. What other aspects of fens, bogs, and swamps does the author value?

4. This book often focuses on public perception of wetlands, and how that has changed over time. From your perspective, what has the public appreciated about wetlands? What have been seen as drawbacks of wetlands?

5. The book discusses how wetlands have been destroyed – for example, drained to create farmland or the peat harvested for fuel. Are there environmental concerns about wetlands near where you live?

6. Share an interesting fact about fens, bogs, and swamps that you learned from this book.

7. This book combines science, history, literature, and geography. What do you think about this? Do you make multidisciplinary connections in your teaching or in your life?

8. Has your perspective on fens, bogs, and swamps changed after reading this book? If so, how?

NOAA Planet Stewards Education Program