Egan tells us that one of the most recognizable images of the perils facing the Great Lakes is “ the grotesque mug of an Asian carp,” which was imported in the 1960s for government research on sewage treatment. How and why are these species a problem?Ħ. Today, the Great Lakes are home to 186 nonnative species - the worst being the zebra and quagga mussels. A recurring theme in the book is the invasive species that have been brought to the lakes from ships arriving from ports all over the world. Why is it not actually a good thing that the Great Lakes are as clear as they are?ĥ. What surprises you about how humans have messed with the lakes, even after the passage of the major Clean Water Act of 1972?Ĥ. Egan also writes that the biggest threat to the Great Lakes at present “is our own ignorance,” and that it’s a “mirage” that humans and lakes have learned to get along. What other mysteries are you learning about as you read?ģ. In the book’s opening, Egan writes that more than any ordinary lake, each of the Great Lakes “can hold all the mysteries of an ocean, and then some.” He mentions that there are 6,000 shipwrecks, many of which have never been found, at the bottom of the Great Lakes. What’s been your own experience of the Great Lakes?Ģ. Some 40 million people live near their shores, and many of more of us depend on them for fresh drinking water, work or recreation. The five great lakes - Lake Erie, Superior, Michigan, Huron and Ontario - make up the world’s largest freshwater system. You can also submit your own questions for Dan Egan on our Facebook page, which he will answer on the NewsHour broadcast at the end of the month.ġ. Learn more about the book club here.īelow are questions to help guide your discussions as you read the book over the next month. Become a member of the book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter. Our April pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club, “Now Read This” is Dan Egan’s “ The Death and Life of the Great Lakes.” It’s an epic and wonderfully told story of history, science and reportage about the largest source of freshwater in the world, and the threat to America’s waterways.
0 kommentar(er)
