‘Rescuing the Planet’ author talk set April 14

Award-winning author Tony Hiss will present his new book, “Rescuing the Planet,” at 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, in conversation with Robert J. Etgen, executive director of Eastern Shore Land Conservancy.

The live, online event is hosted by the Lewes Public Library and Browseabout Books.

“Rescuing the Planet” is an urgent, resounding call to protect 50 percent of the earth’s land by 2050 – thereby saving millions of its species – and a candid assessment of the health of the planet and people’s role in conserving it. Beginning in the vast North American boreal forest that stretches through Canada, and roving across the continent, Hiss sets out on a journey to take stock of the superorganism that is the earth. He not only invites readers to understand the scope and gravity of the problems people face, but also makes the case for why protecting half the land is the way to fix those problems, and highlights the important work of the many groups already involved in the fight.

Hiss is the author of 15 books, including the award-winning “The Experience of Place.” He was a staff writer at The New Yorker for more than 30 years and a visiting scholar at New York University for 25 years.

Etgen has been executive director of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy since October 1990. Under his leadership, it has become one of the most successful and innovative land trusts in the country.

“Tony Hiss has not just captured the possibility of large-scale conservation, he’s understood that it needs to be connected with human beings. The idea of Indigenous Protected Areas that he describes is one of those prospects – simultaneously radical and obvious – that might give us a fighting chance in the decades ahead,” said Bill McKibben, author of “Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?”

The discussion is free to the public. Registration is required. To sign up, go to lewes.lib.de.us and visit the Virtual Programs for Adults page.

Participants are also encouraged to support the author by purchasing a copy of the book from local independent bookstore Browseabout Books. Each copy purchased comes with an archival bookplate signed by the author. Orders may be placed online at browseaboutbooks.com, by calling the store at 302-226-2665, or in person at 133 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach.