Woodwardville Historic District

Piney Orchard Nature Preserve is a 45-acre (18 ha) protected wetland forest with several miles of improved trails located in southern Odenton, Maryland. The Preserve is surrounded by 1,500 acres of river woodland between the residential communities of Piney Orchard, Two Rivers, Woodwardville, and Amberfield. Piney Orchard Nature Preserve is bordered by the Patuxent Research Refuge to the west, the Little Patuxent River to the south, and the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail to the east.Initiated in 1987, Constellation Real Estate (an Exelon Corporation subsidiary) started restoration of wetlands along the Little Patuxent River that had been mined for sand and gravel during the 1940s and '50s and remained deserted and unrestored. The mitigation projects--a term used for this type of restoration--followed five phases to replace wetlands filled in by the development of the 4,000-unit Piney Orchard residential community, which included the formation and enhancement of five large ponds and planting of native trees, shrubs, and grasses. The Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees such mitigations, monitored the progress of the project sites until 1995, when the projects were determined successful and completed. In 1996 the Piney Orchard Nature Preserve was officially opened to all residents of Anne Arundel County, and has been managed since 2005 by the Piney Orchard Community Association.Over 575 species of plants and animals have been reported in Piney Orchard Nature Preserve, which sustains a wide diversity of wildlife in wetland, woodland, and grassland habitats. Around 165 species of birds refuge in the Preserve, 26 species of which are threatened or endangered, including bald eagles, bitterns (heron family), cormorants (ocean divers), grebes (lake divers), harriers (eagle family), hawks (eagle family), herons (pond fishers), juncos (a.k.a. 'snowbirds'), mergansers (pond divers), merlins (falcon family), and teals (aquatic). Only 1,000 feet separate Patuxent Research Refuge from Piney Orchard Nature Preserve, separated by the train tracks of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor; thus unofficially the smaller Preserve is an unincorporated portion of the larger Refuge, which supports a similar and larger set of native flora and fauna around 3,300 species.The 5 miles of biking and hiking trails in Piney Orchard Nature Preserve connect to the regional 10-mile Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail that joins the national 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail--spanning coast-to-coast from California to Delaware.

The Maryland Black Bears are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's East Division. The Black Bears play their home games in the Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Odenton, Maryland. Founded in 2018, the Black Bears are the first team in the 42-year history of the NAHL to be based out of Maryland.Playing on the NHL-sized sheet of ice at the Piney Orchard Ice Arena, a former training center of the NHL's Washington Capitals, the Black Bears' organization has exclusive use of over 7,000 square feet of space for locker rooms, training and equipment, offices, and workout areas. The organization also launched a team in the Tier III Eastern Hockey League, called Team Maryland, and several youth teams in the 2018–19 season, while also purchasing an ownership stake in the Tier I United States Hockey League's Youngstown Phantoms.The Black Bears played their inaugural game on September 14, 2018, at Piney Orchard, losing 6–3 to the New Jersey Titans.

WDCH-FM (99.1 MHz) – branded Bloomberg 99.1 – is a commercial business news radio station licensed to Bowie, Maryland, and serving the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station is operated by Bloomberg L.P. as the market network affiliate for Bloomberg Radio. WDCH-FM often airs D.C. United soccer and Washington Wizards NBA basketball games whenever sports radio sister station WJFK-FM (106.7 "The Fan") is carrying a different game. The studios and offices are near the Washington Navy Yard along the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, while the station transmitter is in Odenton, Maryland. WDCH is one of the few stations that directly targets both the Washington and Baltimore radio markets. This is because its transmitter is located halfway between the two cities, providing a strong city-grade signal to both. WDCH-FM programming is also heard on the HD-2 digital subchannel on 105.7 WJZ-FM.

Piney Orchard is an unincorporated community within the Washington DC suburb of Odenton, Maryland, United States. Piney Orchard began as a Planned Unit Development, and was a project of the Constellation Real Estate Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Constellation Energy Group, which itself, is now owned by Exelon. Construction of the community began in 1991, although groundbreaking for what was to become the Nature Preserve started in 1987, when Constellation Real Estate Group began the effort to restore wetlands in an area which had been mined for sand and gravel in the 1940s and 1950s. Several mitigation projects, the term used for this restoration, followed in five phases to replace wetlands filled in by the development of the community, and included the building and enhancement of five large ponds and the planting of shrubs, trees, and grasses native to the area. The Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees such efforts, monitored the progress of the mitigation sites until 1995, when it was determined the efforts had been successful. In 1996, the Piney Orchard Nature Preserve was officially opened. More than 3500 housing units have been built in Piney Orchard and approximately 8500 residents live there. Constellation turned over the day-to-day supervision of Piney Orchard to the homeowners of the community in 2005. The Piney Orchard Community Association, or "POCA" as it is known, arranges several community-wide social activities and collects annual fees from all homeowners to maintain the aesthetic qualities of the community. Piney Orchard Ice Arena, located at the corner of Piney Orchard Parkway and Riverscape Drive, had been the practice site for the Washington Capitals hockey team until 2006, when they moved to their newly built practice facility, Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia.

Bulldogs Stadium is an American football stadium in Bowie, Maryland. The stadium opened in 1958, and serves at the home of the Bowie State University Bulldogs college football team. The stadium's capacity is 2,964. The school added turf and a new fieldhouse in 2015.

Bowie State University (Bowie State or BSU) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest historically black university and one of the ten oldest in the country. Bowie State is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Odenton ( OH-dən-tən) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, located approximately 10–20 minutes from the state capital, Annapolis. The population was 37,132 at the 2010 census, up from 20,534 at the 2000 census. The town's population growth rate of 80.8% between 2000 and 2010 was the greatest of any town in western Anne Arundel County. Odenton is located west of Annapolis, south of Baltimore, and northeast of Washington.In recent years, Odenton has become the fastest-growing city in the county with 2010 census numbers reporting 42% growth. This is because of its proximity to Fort George G. Meade, which contains NSA headquarters, US Cyber Command (established 2009), and the Defense Information Systems Agency (moved to Fort Meade in 2011). Odenton's growth can also be attributed to it being centrally located between Annapolis, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The development has been fueled by the construction of the massive Piney Orchard development, progress in the ongoing development of Odenton Town Center, and construction of the NSA East Campus Integration Program scheduled for completion in 2028.

Woodwardville is an unincorporated community situated in western Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, containing 27 structures, 16 of which are historic and included in the Woodwardville Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Most of the structures are located adjacent to Patuxent Road, which runs through the center of the community. On the north end of the district, a small street, 5th Avenue, runs west from Patuxent Road underneath the train tracks. Prior to the establishment of what would be later known as Fort George G. Meade in 1917, the road once continued on to Laurel. Three of the seven buildings along 5th Avenue are historic. Woodwardville's building stock consists principally of late-19th and early-20th century domestic architecture. Good examples of the Bungalow, Foursquare, Tudor Revival, and Queen Anne styles are present, as well as older traditional vernacular classifications such as the I-house. These older forms are supplemented by a handful of post-World War II era structures. Woodwardville also features several public or commercial buildings including a church, a former schoolhouse, the ruins of a store and storage or service buildings associated with the railroad. Many of Woodwardville's older buildings fell into decline following World War II, but in recent years, due to its close proximity to commuter rail service, Woodwardville has evolved into a bedroom community for persons working in Washington and Baltimore. Investment by new residents resulted in the restoration and renovation of many buildings which had formerly been in deteriorating condition. Despite the intense development a mile away in Piney Orchard, this quaint community retains its ability to communicate its historic qualities and distinct sense of place.

The Epiphany Chapel and Church House is a historic church at Odenton, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story gable-roofed frame building constructed in 1918 and laid out in cruciform plan in the Arts and Crafts style. It is significant for its association with the mobilization of the United States military for World War I, since it was constructed adjacent to Camp Meade (now known as Fort George G. Meade), a major training camp for troops bound for the Western Front in Europe. Its design was an early work of the prominent Baltimore architect Riggin T. Buckler (1882-1955) of the partnership/firm of Sill, Buckler & Fenhagen.The Epiphany Chapel and Church House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Bowie State station is a regional rail station on the Northeast Corridor, located adjacent to the campus of Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. It is served by MARC Penn Line commuter rail trains. The station is located on a three-track section of the Northeast Corridor, with two side platforms next to the outer tracks.

The Patuxent Research Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, established in 1936 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is the only National Wildlife Refuge in the country established to support wildlife research. With land surrounding the Patuxent and Little Patuxent Rivers between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, the refuge has grown from the original 2,670 acres (10.8 km2) to its present size of over 12,800 acres (52 km2) and encompasses land formerly managed by the Departments of Agriculture and Defense. Throughout decades of change, Patuxent's mission of conserving and protecting the nation's wildlife and habitat through research and wildlife management techniques has remained virtually unchanged.About 1,100 species of vascular plants have been reported on the refuge.Patuxent Research Refuge supports a wide diversity of wildlife in forest, meadow, and wetland habitats. The land is managed to maintain biological diversity and to protect and benefit native and migratory bird species. During the fall and spring migrations, many waterfowl species stop to rest and feed. Over 270 species of birds occur on the refuge. Bald eagles are occasionally seen feeding on the refuge. Increasing forest fragmentation in the area caused by urban development has damaged many populations of neotropical migratory birds. The refuge is one of the largest forested areas in the mid-Atlantic region and provides critical breeding habitat and wintering habitat for these species. Patuxent Research Refuge is divided into three areas: 1) North Tract, which offers hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, trails, and many interpretive programs; 2) Central Tract, where the headquarters for both the refuge and the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center are located, as well as research study sites; and 3) South Tract, which has the National Wildlife Visitor Center, trails, and many educational programs. The North Tract and the National Wildlife Visitor Center are the only areas open for visitor activities.The National Wildlife Visitor Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge is the nation's largest center for environmental science and education operated by the United States Department of the Interior.In 1996, three women were murdered on the Patuxent Research Refuge near the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. One of the men involved, Dustin Higgs, was executed for the crime.

Odenton station is a passenger rail station on the MARC Penn Line. It is located along the Northeast Corridor; Amtrak trains operating along the corridor pass through but do not stop. Both platforms at the station are high-level and are among the longest in the MARC system.