| Bear Branch Nature Center | |
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| Type | Nature Center |
| Location | 300 John Owings Road Westminster, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 39°38′39″N76°59′26″W / 39.64417°N 76.99056°W |
| Area | 4,000 sq ft (370 m2) |
| Created | 1993 |
| Operated by | Carroll County, Maryland |
| Hiking trails | 5 miles (8.0 km) |
| Parking | On-site lot |
| Other information | exhibits, live animals, observatory, planetarium |
| Website | ccgovernment.carr.org |
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.
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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. [1]
