Martha Kostuch was a great environmentalist for Alberta and

[Oscar]

Martha Kostuch was a great environmentalist for Alberta and Canada.

http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/media ... tml?x=1520

Monday, April 28, 2008

I first worked with Martha in the 1980s when she led the fight to stop the damming of the Oldman River. The dam was ultimately built but in the process, she (and Friends of the Oldman River) won a case in the Supreme Court of Canada that ensured that the federal environmental assessment process is legally entrenched. That legal victory is still a key tool for environmentalists fighting bad projects across Canada (step up Digby Neck Basalt Mine, Sydney Tar Ponds Cleanup, Mackenzie Gas Project and Kearl Tar Sands Project!)

She was the queen of private prosecutions under the Fisheries Act, and one of the main reasons why the Department of Fisheries and Oceans pays any attention to destruction of freshwater fish habitat today.

She was an early leader in the fight against rampant tar sands development and the huge environmental destruction it brings; in recent years she worked closely with Lindsay Telfer at Sierra Club Prairies and provided great help with our tar sands campaigns.

Martha distinguished herself through her never-say-die indomitability, but also her capacity to work collegially with representatives of hostile governments and industries. She understood that if we are ever going to save our corner of the planet, we need to win the hearts and minds of the bad guys.

Martha achieved great things in her life. Losing her is a great loss for the environmental community.

Thanks Martha!

Stephen Hazell, Executive Director

Read Martha's Vision for Alberta.