Welcome to Rising Fawn Gardens
The Heart and History
At Rising Fawn Gardens, we are stewards of nature who are devoted to protecting the land, farming sustainably, and building an enduring community that fosters education and wellness.
Our Story
Through the years, we have poured our hearts and our passions into Rising Fawn Gardens. As our family has multiplied, so have the memories we have created as we have worked together to care for this land. We’ve uncovered roads, cleared trails, built a formal trail system, and created fields for growing.
In 2013, a bridge over Lookout Creek was built, bringing to a close the days of crossing the creek in a truck. The bridge was truly a bridge, allowing us to not only access the farm on any given day, but also creating the possibility of opening the farm to a larger community.
We are blessed to be stewards of this beautiful piece of God’s green earth.
Paving the Way…
The intensive bridge-building project paved the way for the building of the Retreat House in 2016. During this time of building basic infrastructure, we learned so much about ourselves and the land.
It was a time of complementary learning and mutual caretaking. During the last decade, it has been an honor to share the land with the community through retreats, workshops, and Farm & Forest Days.
The Medicinal Garden
In recent years, our passion for plants and medicine led to the creation of the Medicinal Garden and we’ve found our niche in growing turmeric, ginger and other medicinal plants.
Each plant was carefully sourced-grown from seed, purchased locally, or transplanted from our woods-and added to complement our fields of grains, orchards, and seasonal vegetables.
Our Values
Protecting the land while educating, nurturing, and bringing communities together.
Our Commitment to Stewardship
While we farm the land and responsibly share it with the community, we are also focused on protecting it as a home for wildlife.
In 2017, as a part of our commitment to stewardship, the land was placed in a conservation easement with the GA/AL Land Trust for its perpetual protection.
Our mission at Rising Fawn Gardens is to preserve the land and wildlife for future generations, to seek and share knowledge about nature, and to bring communities together to build connections with one another.
Meet the Team
Karen LaRussa Persinger
Co-Owner & Student of Life
Karen stewards the land as owner overseeing the Retreat House Venue and the Medicinal Garden. Karen completed the Essentials of Herbalism Study with the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine in 2016. She’s also completed several Mindful School courses including Mindfulness Fundamentals and Mindful Educator Essentials. She is a certified yoga instructor and former school teacher.
Her passion and talent for teaching makes sharing plant knowledge and nature-based wellness come naturally To Karen, Rising Fawn Gardens is an invaluable gift to her family and the community. She and Steve share the understanding that in taking care of the land, the land takes care of us.
“Smile, breathe, and go slowly”
Steve
Persinger
Co-Owner & Chief Yardman
Steve stewards the land as owner overseeing the property while managing the forest, game and wildlife habitats. A gardener at heart, Steve has spent a lifetime learning from Mother Nature firsthand through trial and error. His passion is planting trees and over the years, he has planted Pecans, PawPaws, and a thriving fruit orchard of blueberry bushes and apple trees.
Steve’s lifelong experience of being in and appreciating the great outdoors has shaped his desire to be a protector of the land and the abundant resources associated with it. He is forever grateful for the daily opportunity to explore the property, commune with nature and reflect on life.
“The mountains are calling, and I must go”
Joseph
Persinger
Farm Manager
Joseph joined the RFG team officially in January of 2024 as the Farm Manager. Joseph’s primary roles are general farm, building, and equipment maintenance, as well as working to enhance wildlife habitats.
From a young age, Joseph has had a passion for the outdoors. Whether hunting, fishing, cooking, or gardening, he has always been at home outside. He received a BS in Agricultural Communication from Auburn University, and this is where his passion for gardening, farming, and land stewardship blossomed.
While in school, Joseph worked under horticulturist and plant guru Tia Gonzales at the University’s Plant Science Research Center, where he gained many valuable skills to help him in his role as farm manager.
Joseph has a unique perspective as a team member because he has seen RFG evolve from raw land purchased in 2007 to the operation it is today. He deeply understands Karen and Steve's vision for the land and plans to continue that vision as the next-generation steward of this great natural resource.
“The last word in ignorance in the man who says of an animal or plant: What good is it?”
María
Gonzalez
Communications & Events Facilitator
María’s passion for the natural world has been a constant thread throughout her life. Raised in a bilingual and bicultural household, her earliest memories in nature are of the snowy Big Woods of Wisconsin and Colombia's Andean cloud forests.
María is a dedicated educator and has worked internationally in Colombia, India, Perú, and Spain. Upon returning to the USA, María continued teaching and serving but desired to transition professionally from traditional education to full nature immersion. That dream materialized at the Wauhatchie Forest School in Chattanooga, TN, where she taught before becoming the Head of School in 2021.
María pursued certification in the Japanese practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) to extend wellness benefits to a broader audience and now guides with accreditation from the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides (ANFT). María is wildly excited to be in a relationship with the people and the land of Rising Fawn Gardens and looks forward to curating retreats with other healing modalities.
“My work is loving the world, which is mostly standing still and learning to be astonished.”