The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc. organized the South Carolina Historic Landscape Initiative, modeling it after the Georgia Historic Landscape Initiative, which began in 2002 under the direction of James Cothran, FASLA. As a sponsor of the project, the club works in conjunction with academic professionals at the College of Charleston; Clemson University; the South Carolina Department of Archives and History; and the University of Georgia, landscape architects, and other nonprofit preservationists. The mission of the project is to survey and document South Carolina's historic landscape resources which are at least 50 years old and have historical significance. Initially, gardens from the club's list of historic gardens, compiled in World War II, were contacted and surveyed, but subsequently other gardens have been added. These surveys provide valuable information for preservationists and researchers, and help identify which properties might be eligible for the National Register and the South Carolina Register of Historic Places. Landscape surveys are completed by volunteers from the Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc. and graduate students.