Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, between Washington and Baltimore along the Patuxent and Little Patuxent rivers, was established in 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the nation’s only National Wildlife Refuge created specifically for wildlife research. Expanded from 2,670 acres to more than 12,800, it has long combined habitat conservation with research and wildlife management. Its forests, meadows, and wetlands support native and migratory birds, including more than 270 recorded species, as well as about 1,100 vascular plant species. The refuge also includes major public education and recreation areas and gained national attention after the 1996 murders of three women there.