Martha Kostuch Scholarship

 

 

PAMZ is thrilled to partner with Olds College and Red Deer Polytechnic in the transition of the Dr. Martha Kostuch Scholarship. 

 

 

The annual $2,500 award is now presented to post-secondary students entering their second year at Olds College or Red Deer Polytechnic in recognition of their outstanding service and leadership, as well as their potential for future achievement in environmental stewardship. Named in honor of environmental champion Dr. Martha Kostuch, the scholarship recognizes her profound impact on Alberta’s environmental policy.

 

 

 

Dr. Kostuch, a founding member and director of Parkland Airshed Management Zone (PAMZ), dedicated over 30 years to advocating for effective environmental management. Her work helped shape Alberta’s approach to shared governance and fostered collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring that all sectors work together to safeguard our environment. “PAMZ is proud to see the legacy of Dr. Martha Kostuch carry on through this prestigious scholarship at two local post-secondary institutions,” said PAMZ Executive Director Kevin Warren. “For many years, this award has recognized young environmental leaders, and it will keep supporting those pursuing studies within the environmental field.”

 

 

 

For more information, or to apply, visit https://www.oldscollege.ca/ or https://rdpolytech.ca/.

 

History of the Scholarship

Dr. Kostuch came to Alberta in 1975 from Minnesota, taking over a veterinary practice in Rocky Mountain House. She quickly became a recognized advocate on environmental issues, working with organizations such as the Alberta Wilderness Association, Prairie Acid Rain Coalition and Friends of the Oldman River. She built her reputation by bringing various stakeholders together to find solutions to the environmental issues facing Alberta. She was easily Alberta’s best known environmental activist, tackling many large and complex issues that through her dogged determination and persistence she either helped to resolve or at a minimum moved the issue considerably forward.

It’s easy for somebody to identify a problem and sound the alarm, but it’s a lot harder to roll up your sleeves and figure out ways to improve things. That’s the kind of person Martha was, and that’s the kind of recipient for which this scholarship is intended.