Two citizen groups engaged in legal battles with factory farms are in great need of financial donations to pay their litigation costs. Factory farms house thousands of confined poultry and livestock that may never stand in sunshine or eat a blade of grass. Prairie Rivers Network is not a plaintiff in these cases, but we want to let our members and subscribers know about this opportunity to make a difference.

Helping Others Maintain Environmental Standards (HOMES) is based in Jo Daviess County in the northwest corner of Illinois. HOMES formed to prevent the construction of a large dairy that would contain thousands of cows and acres of manure lagoons. A temporary injunction is in place, and the next step is a trial for a permanent injunction. To learn more or to donate, visit www.stopthemegadairy.org.

Rochester Buckhart Action Group (RBAGroup) is based in Sangamon County in central Illinois, and they are fighting a 3,750-head hog facility. A court ruling against RBAGroup has left the group with significant legal fees. To learn more or to donate, visit www.rbagroup.org.

Prairie Rivers Network has been following these cases because of the serious threats factory farms pose to clean water. Manure stockpiles on the farms can contaminate nearby drinking water wells and foul streams with germs and other pollutants. When factory farms move into communities, the quality of life can be significantly reduced. In addition to water pollution problems, nearby residents may become sickened by nauseating and debilitating toxic gases that waft from animal waste.

Although difficult to track, more of these facilities are being built in Illinois every year and it is important that they be held to the same standards as other industrial operations, both for clean water and other damage to surrounding communities. Prairie Rivers Network’s work on this issue includes commenting on factory farm construction and wastewater discharge permits, and monitoring a few target facilities for illegal stream pollution. We applaud the efforts of these courageous citizens to oppose an industrial scale of farming that is heavily subsidized and polluting.