Thunderstorms likely this morning. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms this afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..
Thunderstorms likely. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Debbie Waugh's Salamander Springs is a 50-acre farm that she uses as a non-profit educational farm. She hopes to offer free summer children’s science day camps, tours, classes in sustainability and organic growing, opportunities for community building, learning and developing land and farm-related skills, and classes on growing and marketing farm products.
Debbie Waugh's Salamander Springs is a 50-acre farm that she uses as a non-profit educational farm. She hopes to offer free summer children’s science day camps, tours, classes in sustainability and organic growing, opportunities for community building, learning and developing land and farm-related skills, and classes on growing and marketing farm products.
Debbie Waugh will soon retire from her teaching job at Central Georgia Technical College, but by no means will she stop educating.
Waugh spent the past 27 years of her life creating a place where others can develop a love for nature and all that it has to offer on her farm, Salamander Springs. She bought the 50-acre farm nearly three decades ago in an effort to instill that same kind of appreciation for the land in her own two children. Along the way, she joined an organization called Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WOOF) back in 2005. It’s been a partnership that has allowed her to receive volunteers from all over the world to come and help her on the farm for nearly 20 years.
“There were all these young people I met that were amazing,” she said. “They wanted to go out and do good things for the world, and they had a work ethic, so that completely changed what I could get done.”
Having volunteers was greatly beneficial to Waugh, who was busy at a full-time job in addition to maintaining the farm. Over the years, Salamander Springs grew to include gardens, forest trails, cabins, a library, classrooms, kitchens and much, much more. And while volunteers have provided physical assistance, Waugh has worked to teach them about sustainability, growing food, community building, cooking together, reusing materials and so much more on the solar powered, totally organic farm.
“You find out that you can do these things that you didn’t know you could, and you find out what you would like to do or love to do or are good at doing, too…,” Waugh said. “I’m a teacher at heart. … The best thing that one of my volunteers at the farm shared was that when she left Salamander Springs, she felt like she could do anything.”
Waugh has enjoyed great partnerships with WOOF as well as with Georgia College and other entities. Currently, Georgia College students volunteer with a variety of activities like helping to pot plants for the college’s front-campus market. WOOF volunteers still come regularly as well. Just recently, two young men from Massachusetts visited to help with building repairs.
In return, Waugh pays it forward by taking the time to talk to college groups and partner with community health programs.
“It’s my responsibility as an elder to give back to my community, to teach what I know, to share knowledge,” she explained.
With her retirement approaching, Waugh began carefully considering her future plans for the land. While 30 acres will be left for her grandchildren, she has decided to reserve the remaining 20 acres as a non-profit educational farm, which, in essence, is what she’s been doing all along. She is working on the development of a land trust and other legal fulfillments that will allow her to partner with even more organizations. She hopes to offer free summer children’s science day camps, tours, classes in sustainability and organic growing, opportunities for community building, learning and developing land and farm-related skills, and classes on growing and marketing farm products.
Receiving so many letters and positive feedback from volunteers through the years showed Waugh just what Salamander Springs means to so many who have spent time there through the years, and that’s what drives her motivation to keep it going strong.
“I have a huge extended family, and I realize how it is important to so many people,” she said.
For Waugh, it’s a labor of love with an ultimate goal of building community and providing a place where people connect with nature and learn skills, find out what they can do and begin to understand what they love to do.
“And I tell my students here and my own children and grandchildren, ‘The best thing you can do is find something you love doing and you can take care of yourself doing it…,’” she said. “I see people blossom because they find out they can define their reality — what they want to do and how they want to live. They have that power.”
Waugh said volunteering is the best way people can help, and anyone interested can find out about opportunities by emailing her at debbiekwaugh@gmail.com.
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