Friends of Murphys Point Park

We Built It!

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Friends of Murphys Point

Partners in the “Help Us Build a Bridge Bash” came together to mark the official opening of the new bridge over Black Creek on the McParlan House Trail on June 24. The Friends of Murphys Point Park, Tay Valley Cross-Country Ski Club and Rideau Trail Association Central Club raised more than $10,000 with a dinner/dance and silent auction in April 2011 to go towards the replacement of the bridge that was washed out in spring flooding a few years ago. This represented nearly one-third of the funds Ontario Parks needed to rebuild!

Superintendent Curtis Thompson and Friends President Cindy Deachman greet members of partnering organizations involved with rebuilding the bridge at the official opening.

The trail is a part of the Rideau Trail system that stretches from Ottawa to Kingston. It also is an important portion of the ski trails used each winter at the park and a vital link in the park’s overall summer trail system as it passes through the heritage McParlan House site, the location of the student Archaeo Apprentice program run by the Friends of Murphys Point.

Visitors make their way across the bridge toward McParlan House.

Congratulations and thanks to all involved in the bridge project. Great job!

Posted in Archaeo Apprentice, Friends of Murphys Point, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park | Tagged Archaeo Apprentice, Friends of Murphys Point Park, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park | Leave a comment

This Place Rocks!

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Friends of Murphys Point

Murphys Point is renowned for the Silver Queen Mine, where mica, feldspar and apatite were extracted in its heyday in the early 1900s. Well now folks who are intrigued after visiting this wonder or one of the many events of our 2012 Heritage Mica Festival can learn even more!

One of our partners, the Perth Museum/Matheson House, is developing a new permanent exhibit at the museum for this autumn that features the discoveries of Dr. James Wilson, a medical doctor from Scotland who came to Canada in 1818. He was a keen amateur geologist who made significant contributions to the Geological Survey of Canada. He recognized the local abundance of apatite (a phosphate used in fertilizer) and phlogopite (a type of mica used as an insulator) that would later result in a thriving industry – all commemorated at Murphys Point and the Silver Queen Mine and through the annual Heritage Mica Festival.

Click here to see a media release about Wilson’s contributions and related activities at the Perth Museum coming this fall. Also check out the Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization’s Recreational Geology Project to find out more about geological activities. And don’t forget to check the park’s weekly event schedule to get in on a guided tour of the Silver Queen! Rock on!

Posted in Friends of Murphys Point, Geology, Heritage, Heritage Mica Festival, Mica Festival, mica mine, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park, Silver Queen Mine | Tagged Friends of Murphys Point Park, Heritage Mica Festival, Mica Festival, mica mine, Murphys Point, Murphys Point events, Murphys Point Provincial Park, silver queen, Silver Queen Mine, tay valley township | Leave a comment

Name Our Ratsnake!

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Friends of Murphys Point

Cast your vote in the Visitor Centre at Murphys Point!

The captive Gray Ratsnake housed at the Visitor Centre at Murphys Point has been educating and delighting park visitors for years, but he’s never been given a name!

We invite YOU to help name him! By the end of the season, the name that has accumulated the most money will be awarded to the snake. Proceeds go to the Friends of Murphys Point Park in support of Gray Ratsnake monitoring and education in the park.

A shortlist of 12 names has been pared down to these four:

Sleepy John (apparently a common name for Black Ratsnakes in the South)
Mica (both found at Murphys Point; both black and shiny)
Gabe (after ratsnake scientist Gabriel Blouin-Demers – who is also in the Friends’ ratsnake video)
Murph (since Murphys Point is one of the last protected areas for ratsnakes in Ontario)

Get in on the fun and cast your vote! Drop by the Visitor Centre, across from the Park Store, any day between 1 and 4 p.m. to see displays about the park’s nature and cultural heritage. Check out our live Ratsnake display. The snake comes out everyday at 2 p.m. for a short demonstration.