Bear Branch Nature Center is a nature center in Carroll County, Maryland near Westminster. It features interpretive exhibits about local plants and animals, an outdoor water feature and play area, a Discovery Room for children, live animals including an eagle, hawks, owls, snakes, salamanders, turtles, frogs, and toads, a planetarium and observatory. The center is a facility of Carroll County Recreation & Parks.
The nature center is adjacent to Hashawha Environmental Center, a residential facility that is also operated by Carroll County Recreation & Parks. Hashawha Environmental Center is home to the Carroll County Public Schools Outdoor School, a residential environmental education program open to every sixth-grade student in the county.
The two facilities are located on approximately 320 acres, with more than five miles of multi-use trails, a restored 19th-century cabin, a lake, a pond, and access to both Bear Branch and Big Pipe Creek.Carroll County Department of Recreation & Parks: Hashawha/Bear Branch, , accessed 29 Aug 2014.
History In 1972, the county purchased the land on which the Bear Branch Nature Center and Hashawha Environmental Center were built. The name "Hashawha" is a Native American word meaning "old fields."A Bark in the Park: The 50 Best Places to Hike With Your Dog in the ... - Doug Gelbert - Google Boeken
Hashawha Tower The Hashawha Tower is a 10 m (35 ft) tall windmill donated to and located at Hashawha Environmental Center.
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References
External links Hashawha/Bear Branch - Carroll County Recreation & Parks