| Bear Branch Nature Center | |
| Type: | Nature Center |
| Location: | 300 John Owings Road Westminster, Maryland |
| Area: | 4000square feet |
| Created: | 1993 |
| Operator: | Carroll County, Maryland |
| Other Info: | exhibits, live animals, observatory, planetarium |
| Parking: | On-site lot |
| Website: | ccgovernment.carr.org |
| Coords: | 39.6442°N -76.9906°W |
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, an observation beehive, 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 is also operated by Carroll County Recreation & Parks. Hashawha Environmental Center is home to 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]
In 1972, the county purchased the land on which Bear Branch Nature Center and Hashawha Environmental Center wee built. The name "Hashawha" is a Native American word meaning "old fields."[2]
The Hashawha Tower is a 10 m (35 ft) tall windmill donated to and located at Hashawha Environmental Center.