Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 14, Number 5 • Winter 2006
Congratulations to Judy Treml!
This year we were honored to present the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund Grassroots Citizen-Advocate Award to
Judy Treml of Luxembourg,Wisconsin (Brent Denzin of Midwest Environmental Advocates accepted the award on Judy’s behalf as
she was unable to attend the symposium).
The Department of Natural Resources in Wisconsin has been working for over four years to adopt tighter regulations for the largest
animal operations to control the runoff of liquid manure from frozen or otherwise saturated soils. The Tremls had a terrible experience
in which one of these large operations contaminated their drinking water well (as well as a nearby stream) with liquid manure
that had run off of adjacent fields.They and their small children, the youngest of which was six months old, became deathly ill.With
Midwest Environmental Advocates, the Tremls successfully sued the large farm operation and recovered damages for their well and
medical costs. Judy and her husband did not stop there. At great time and personal expense they became the strongest advocates
for the regulations to ensure that no other parent need take their six-month-old to the emergency room. Judy has become an
incredibly effective spokesperson for reasonable manure regulations. She has testified at hearings, spoken to media, educated many
neighbors and groups, and organized other mothers to advocate for the health of their families.
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