Maryland Black Bears

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.

Woodwardville Historic District is a national historic district at Woodwardville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The district consists of 16 historic structures, most of which are located adjacent to Patuxent Road, which runs through the center of the village of Woodwardville. The district contains good examples of late-19th and early-20th century domestic architecture, including Bungalow, Foursquare, Tudor Revival, and Queen Anne styles. The village's development was directly related to the construction of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad, initiated in 1867 and completed in 1872.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

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.

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.

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.

The Citizens State Bank is a historic bank building at 1402 Odenton Road in Odenton, Maryland. It is now a local history museum operated by the Odenton Heritage Society. The single story Classical Revival masonry building was built in 1917 to serve the military population of nearby Camp Meade, which had been established as a cantonment for the First World War. The bank provided many soldiers with financial services, as Odenton was an off-base destination for social activities, and the bank was located near the train station. It only operated until February 8, 1918, when it was closed due to lack of funds. The building was next used as a shop, and was moved in 1945 to make room for a new train station (the present station). After the war it was converted for use as a parcel post service office, which closed in 1966. The Odenton Heritage Society acquired the building in 1989 and restored it.The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

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.

The Odenton Town Center is a 1,620-acre (6.6 km2) area of Odenton, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, designated in official plans for mixed-use development. The Odenton Town Center has been planned as a Town Center since 1968. In 1990, legislation created an Odenton Growth Management Area (OGMA) to encourage development in the Town Center Area. In 1995, the Odenton Town Plan was adopted. In 2004, the updated Odenton Town Center Master Plan was adopted. In July 2010 a Developer's Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA) was signed between The Halle Companies and Anne Arundel County which will allow the company to complete the stretch of Town Center Boulevard that connects the Seven Oaks Community with the Odenton MARC Station. In return, the County will be given the right to connect new water and sewer systems through the 128-acre parcel owned by The Halles. It has been reported that this is the final piece needed to allow the Odenton Town Center to move forward.

The Defense Information School (DINFOS) is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) school located at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. DINFOS fulfills the Department of Defense's need for an internal corps of professional journalists, broadcasters, and public affairs professionals. Members from all branches of the U.S. military, DoD civilians and international military personnel attend DINFOS for training in public affairs, print journalism, photojournalism, photography, television and radio broadcasting, lithography, equipment maintenance and various forms of multimedia. The American Council on Education recommends college credit for most DINFOS courses.

Fort Meade is a census-designated place (CDP) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, Central Security Service, United States Cyber Command and the Defense Information Systems Agency, which are located on the U.S. Army post Fort George G. Meade.