The Nemours Wildlife Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and Clemson University is recognizing its partnership with the organization that has allowed Clemson students access to fieldwork and research on the 10,000-acre Nemours Plantation.
Located in northern Beaufort County, South Carolina, the foundation was established in 1995 by the late Eugene duPont III and his family. The group provides opportunities for Clemson faculty and students to study the area’s natural resources.
Clemson students have used the location for their research. According to a release, 25 undergraduate and 16 graduate students have contributed nine peer-reviewed science articles through their research at the Nemours Wildlife Foundation.
Ernie Wiggers, the foundation’s president and CEO and a Clemson alumnus, said that the partnership is beneficial for both parties as Clemson is the only university to offer a wildlife program in the state.
“We’ve gotten some great intern students who are undergraduates looking to add to their resume material, and a number of them have gone on to be graduate students for us because they did such a good job,” he said.
Beau Bauer, a biologist at the foundation and also a Clemson alum, said it’s been great to still have connections to his alma mater. “Some days it feels like I never left,” Bauer said. “I love the place, and it’s so much fun working with them. You have these great faculty members … and it’s just awesome to be down here at Nemours and be able to bring them here and show them a whole different side of the state, literally, where all this stuff that you’ve learned about in the curriculum, such as waterfowl management, water manipulation, prescribed burns and timber thinning for wildlife habitat, is all going on down here at the coast on a regular basis.”
