Martha Kostuch (July 8, 1949,

Moose Lake, Minnesota Moose Lake is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2020 census. Interstate 35, State Highways 27 and 73, County 10, and County 61 are the main routes in Moose Lake. Moose Lake State Park is n ...

, United States — April 23, 2008,

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David Th ...

, Alberta, Canada) was a Canadian

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

and an award-winning

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

. In her veterinary work, she identified reproductive and immunological problems among cattle to

air pollutants Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

, like sulphur dioxide, from the

sour gas Sour gas is natural gas or any other gas containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Natural gas is usually considered sour if there are more than 5.7 milligrams of H2S per cubic meter of natural gas, which is equivalent to approxim ...

industry in the region. Her successful campaign to reduce that air pollution marked the beginning of her work as an environmentalist. Kostuch and her husband, Tom M. Kostuch, moved to Alberta from Minnesota in 1975. They had two children by birth, and adopted two sons. In 2001, one of her sons was accused of plotting to murder her to acquire an inheritance. He pleaded guilty "to counselling to commit an offence" for offering a hit man $40,000. In subsequent years she contributed her efforts to various environmental campaigns. These included blocking a hotel and golf course resort. In 1998 she charged a sand and gravel trucking business for violating the federal ''Fisheries Act''. She campaigned to stop the building of the

Oldman River Dam The Oldman River Dam is a dam on the Oldman River in southwestern Alberta, Canada. The dam is north of Pincher Creek in the Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9. Controversy The Oldman River Dam was completed in 1991. The project had been opp ...

and followed with a legal campaign resulting in environmental improvements to the project when the dam was approved and a Supreme Court decision that environmental protection is in the jurisdiction of both the federal and provincial governments. In her work on the Clean Air Strategic Alliance committee, she was part of the effort that resulted in the reductions to air pollution. In the fall of 2007, Kostuch announced that she had been diagnosed as terminal with

multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by autonomic dysfunction, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, and postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism) and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

. She declared her intention to choose when she would die, rather than letting the disease decide for her — supporting the

right to die The right to die is a concept based on the opinion that human beings are entitled to end their life or undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood that a person with a terminal illness, incurable pain, or without t ...

cause.

Honours

In 1992, Kostuch received an Alberta Emerald Foundation award in the Individual Commitment category. In 2002, Kostuch was given a

Canadian Environment Awards The Canadian Environment Awards were established in 2002 through a partnership between the Government of Canada and Canadian Geographic Enterprises. The national program recognized dedicated Canadians who act locally to help protect, preserve and r ...

: Community Award for Clean Air. In 2003, she received the

Nature Canada Nature Canada is a member-based environmental organization headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Its supporters include more than 100,000 individuals and over 800 affiliated organizations, including local and provincial naturalist clubs. The organ ...

’s Douglas H. Pimlott Award. In 2004, the Alberta Wilderness Association gave Kostuch an Alberta Wilderness Defenders Award. On April 15, 2008, the Alberta Emerald Foundation announced that Kostuch would be presented with a Special Achievement Award at the June 3, 2008, awards ceremony. On April 21, 2008, the government of Alberta announced an educational

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awa ...

to be established in Kostuch’s name and awarded annually. The bursary is to fund people from

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s for studies in a certificate course in consensus building.

References

External links

Family, Friends, and Enemies
Martha Kostuch’s LiveJournal

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostuch, Martha 1949 births 2008 deaths Canadian environmentalists Canadian women environmentalists People from Clearwater County, Alberta Neurological disease deaths in Alberta Deaths from multiple system atrophy American emigrants to Canada People from Carlton County, Minnesota