In the heart of the South Carolina sandhills, an 853-acre plot of forested land has been set aside for ecological conservation, research, and education. Bordered by the Wateree River on one side and the quiet town of Camden on the other, this land – called Hardscramble – was donated to Clemson University in 2006 by the late Margaret Lloyd, a local environmental advocate. The preservation and wise-use of this longleaf-pine dominated forest represents one woman’s dream of fostering environmental education in the state of South Carolina.
Margaret “Peggy” Lloyd was a renowned and beloved philanthropist with a passion for the environment. Hardscramble was close to her heart and she gave it to Clemson with the hopes that it would be used not for its wood but for its ethereal beauty and educational potential. Since 2016, Dr. Rob Baldwin, the Margaret H. Lloyd-SmartState Endowed Professor, has built a research team to best fulfill both Margaret Lloyd’s wishes and Clemson University’s mission. From forestry to social science to education, the team led by Dr. Rob Baldwin is taking advantage of the abundance of Hardscramble’s unique opportunities and, in the process, they are quickly making Margaret’s dream a reality.
This page is the home for the research conducted on Hardscramble and supported by the Margaret H. Lloyd-SmartState endowment. Below, you will hear about Hardscramble in Margaret’s own words; the Vision, Mission, and Goals of the endowment; and a map to Hardscramble. You can learn about the Research Team, more about Hardscramble and surrounding community, and Margaret Lloyd herself on the accompanying pages of this site. If you would like more information, you can find contact information on our Contact Page.
- VISION
Through the Lloyd Project, Hardscramble can educate the public on the all-encompassing and all-important relationship between people and nature by fostering Margaret Lloyd’s vision of global interconnectedness.
- MISSION
Utilize Margaret Lloyd’s gift as a tool for illuminating the interconnectedness and resilience of the natural world. Engage people with the natural world through research, teaching and service.
- GOALS
Environmental Education – To harness the experiential education opportunities presented by the endowment through environmental learning and through the implementation of a low-impact environmental education center that is scaled to local needs.
Environmental Awareness – To mold this land as a place for interdisciplinary reflection that thereby serves as a positive reflection of how the manmade world and the natural world can intertwine for the prosperity of both.
Conservation – To protect and nourish the habitat of Hardscramble, developing strategies for a sustainable future there in the process.
Restoration – To demonstrate the restoration of an ecosystem's structure and function through carefully designed projects.
Research – To develop understanding of human influence on nature through systematic observation and recording of change in ecological pattern and process over a long-term horizon.
Discover – To study the history of overlapping cultures in the Camden region and use the Lloyd property to develop greater understanding of how to include diverse perspectives in natural resources education.
