Cast and Crew
Learn about the people who created and helped make "Our Heartland: Climate Change and the Midwest" possible.
Creator
Emily Johnson
Creator Emily Johnson is an 18-year-old climate activist from Rothschild, Wisconsin. One of her main pursuits in life is to create awareness for the crucial issue of climate change and secure a green future. Johnson has always been an avid fan of the environment from going on camping trips to learning about ancient life. It wasn’t until the 8th-grade year that she started to invest more time in figuring out what was happening to the planet. When the realization of climate change started to get to her, Johnson was furious about world leaders not taking it seriously. Because of that, she devoted her time to understanding the issue and teaching others about it. Johnson has put on multiple presentations at her school and the local community on why climate action is important. She has also started her own local chapter of the international organization, Fridays for Future, which gives young kids the opportunity to bring climate action into their area, to implement change (FFF Wausau). The group is working on awareness and change to the community and has held several rallies and protests in Wausau.
​
For more information about Emily Johnson's climate activism and FFF Wausau including how to sign up for the group, you can look up @fff.wausau and @e.s. johnson on Facebook or Instagram.
Retired Pathologist at Marshfield Clinic
Bruce Krawisz, M.D.
Bruce Krawisz is a retired pathologist who studied at Macalester College (biology/chemistry, BA), Mayo Medical School (medicine, MD), Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis, Board Certifications in Anatomic Pathology, and Molecular Genetic Pathology. Krawisz, after and during his schooling, has worked at the University of Vermont School of Medicine as the Assistant Professor of Pathology, (1984 - 1989), Marshfield Health System as a Pathologist (1989 – 2016), at Prevention Genetics as the Clinical Laboratory Director (2006 – 2016). Currently, he works as an Emeritus Researcher at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute. Throughout his career, Krawisz has published work related to climate change and health.
​
Krawisz BR, Health Effects of Climate Destabilization: Understanding the Problem. Wisconsin Medical Journal. 2020,119(2):132-138. https://wmjonline.org/119no2/krawisz/
Krawisz BR, The Climate Crisis Is a Public Health Crisis. Sojourners Magazine, August 12, 2019. https://sojo.net/articles/climate-crisis-public-health-crisis
Climate Change, Pollution, and Health Videos:
Climate Change Is a Health Emergency:
https://www.pechakucha.com/presentations/climate-change-is-a-health-emergency
Brain Health and Air Pollution:
https://studio.youtube.com/video/04GOY9HRKIU/edit
Dementia, Lifestyle, and Air Pollution:
Retired Fisheries Biologist at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Frank Pratt
Frank Pratt is a retired DNR Fishery Biologist (1974-2012) from Hayward, Wisconsin. He got his B.A. at Holy Cross College in 1971 and his M.S. degree in Fishery Science at the University of Massachusetts in 1976. Pratt is apart of several organizations including American Fishery Society as a certified Fishery scientist, the Wisconsin Climate Change Institute (WiCCI), Greenfire on the climate team, Fisheries Bio-Technology Prescriptions, and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. Ongoing, Pratt does speaking engagements for Citizens Climate Lobby and Greenfire about the impacts of climate change and the future of Wisconsin fish. He has also earned the WiDNR Biologist of the Year in 1987 and the Outdoor News Conservationist of the Year in 2017.
​
In the late 1990's, most of his good walleye lakes in Sawyer County all crashed at once and the majority never recovered. At the same time, reproduction for brown trout in Namekagon River improved and catfish started showing up in all sorts of places where they never have been before. This wide scale regional change caused Pratt to question that something was wrong. He found that climate change caused this to happen and he promptly decided to dedicate his work in understanding and fixing it.
​
Currently, Pratt is working on a proposal for a watershed plan/district Mosquito Brook with an emphasis on watershed adaptation to climate change and application of surrogate species and surrogate genetic strains of trout.
In his spare time, Pratt naturally enjoys fly fishing, fly tying, lure making, and teaching these activities to childern.
Executive Director of the American Birkenbeiner Association
Ben Popp
Ben Popp is the executive director of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation in Hayward, Wisconsin. Popp earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology in 1996 at St. Olaf College and a Masters of Arts in Education-Life Science in 2003 at St. Thomas University. Upon graduation from St. Olaf College, he began coaching collegiately and working in the silent sport industry—now for over 20 years. Popp has had a variety of jobs starting as the head nordic ski coach of Carleton College (1996-1999), the marketing director/partner of Bicycle Sports LLC (2001-2003, the teacher/administrator of Great River School (2004-2006), the owner of Endurance Athlete LLC (2006-2008), and the executive director of the SISU Foundation (2008-2013).
​
His family includes wife Megan, a rehabilitation physician, and twin boys, Luke and Grant, age 15 years old. In 2009, Popp completed the “Worlds Toughest Race,” the 3,000 mile solo bicycle Race Across America (RAAM). He is also passionate, enthusiastic, organized. Hobbies include x-c skiing, hiking, cy- cling, and DIY home projects.
​
To contact Ben Popp, you can reach him at his cell at 715-558-3091 or his email ben.popp@birkie.com.
Co-Owner and Co-Operator of Red Door Family Farm in Athens,Wisconsin
Tenzin Botsford
Tenzin Botsford is the co-owner-operator of Red Door Family Farm in Athens, Wisconsin. Together with his wife Stacey and 4 seasonal employees, they earn a living entirely from organic fruits, vegetables, as well as mushrooms, meat and eggs from the farm. For the past 7 years, their farm business and their two young daughters are thriving year after year amidst the many ongoing such as the challenges of climate change, economic variablity, and global pandemics. With a focus on relationships both within their community and ecological contexts, they hope to continue to weather the storms for many seasons to come. Sustainability in agriculture is increasingly dependent on biological soul health and conservation practices to withstand increasingly dramatic weather extremes.
Naturalist
Chris Sanford
Chris Sanford is a Naturalist working at Twin Oaks Environmental Center. He was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin, but spent his childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. After returning to Wisconsin at the age of 16, he attended the University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point and received a Bachelors in Wildlife Education/Interpretation. He first became interested in climate change after attending a lecture hosted by Michael Mann, who in 1999, co-authored the so-called Hockey Stick Chart
(one of the first widely accepted studies establishing the link between human activity and climate change). Since then, Chris has taken every effort to improve both his own carbon footprint and that of Twin Oaks as well. Such measures include encouraging environmentally friendly behaviors of thousands of visiting students, replacing inefficient light bulbs with LEDs, and utilizing a compost pile for food waste.
​
For more information about Twin Oaks and its role in D.C. Everest School District, Sandford may be reached at csanford@dce.k12.wi.us