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Lynn Henning

Clayton, Michigan
Conservation Organizer
Mackinac Chapter

"My husband and I are lifelong farmers," says Lynn Henning. "He still farms with his dad, who's 85 and still out there farming, still driving a semi."

The Hennings use sustainable farming practices on their 300-acre spread, and Lynn does all her own canning. Her intimate relationship with the land led to a growing concern about factory farm pollution in southern Michigan. "I'd never been an activist before, but animal waste from these facilities was polluting local waterways with bloodworms and high levels of E. coli," she says. "Millions of gallons of waste were being discharged into Lake Hudson, a public swimming facility in the Michigan State Park system."

Henning joined Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan and began doing water quality monitoring on large factory farms, or CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). "I'd get tips from local farmers about violations and go out and take photographs of what I saw. You might say I'm a CAFO-chaser—some have called me a 'Pooperazzi.'"

Henning's work didn't sit well with factory farm owners, more than one of whom she says has threatened her to back off. "We've had property and equipment damage on our farm. One big operator took me to court, but the judge ruled that I had a 'constitutional right to be environmentally vigilant.'"

Her work also caught the eye of the Mackinac Chapter, which secured funding this January to hire her as part-time staff. "The CAFOs in Michigan are really in trouble now," quips Scott Dye, director of the Club's Water Sentinels Program.

Henning recommends that anyone interested in learning more check out www.nocafos.org.

Published: April 25, 2007