More group sites available to book online

Looking for a fun way to camp with a bunch of people? Consider group campsites!

We’re happy to announce that group campsites can now be reserved online and via our call centre for an additional 25 provincial parks.

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The Murphys Point moth craze

This post comes to us from Mark Read, an interpretive naturalist at Murphys Point Provincial Park.

Most people have a love/hate relationship with moths. But believe it or not, moths are the latest craze to hit Murphys Point Provincial Park!

With moths that range in size from as big as your hand to smaller than a grain of rice, staff at the park have been documenting this understudied group for the last few years.

As a result, the park list has grown from 56 known species in 2015 to a whopping 673! That’s 617 more species identified in the park in just three years!

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Bioblitz at Murphys Point is fast approaching!

In celebration of Ontario Parks’ 125th anniversary, and with two practice runs for local schools already under their belt, the staff at Murphys Point Provincial Park are keen to invite members of the public to join them for their 2nd Annual Bioblitz on Saturday August 18.

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Local schools blitz Murphys Point

This post comes to us from Mark Read, Interpretive Naturalist at Murphys Point Provincial Park.

Last month, two local schools took part in a mini bioblitz at Murphys Point, using their outdoor skills to explore, discover, and identify the various wildlife of the park.

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The makings and teachings of the birchbark canoe

Chuck Commanda grew up part of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, an Algonquin First Nation. As a young boy, he helped his grandparents make birchbark canoes. Now, years later, Chuck enjoys sharing his knowledge and showcasing his skills to the public.

Chuck recently attended the “Politics of the Canoe” workshop in Winnipeg, where he says much of the discussion focused on reconciliation through the canoe.

“The canoe is a shared experience that all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can relate to. That makes it an effective tool for reconciliation.”

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Award-winning interpreter in our midst at Murphys Point

With another busy summer season of programs about to begin at parks across the province, we wanted to profile one of our award-winning staff members.

Earlier this spring, Mark Read, Senior Naturalist at Murphys Point Provincial Park, won the Sandy McBeath Outstanding Seasonal Interpreter Award. This honour is awarded to one interpreter annually in the Great Lakes Region by the National Association for Interpretation.

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Hunting dragons, discovering damsels

During the summer of 2015, several research projects were conducted at Murphys Point Provincial Park, but one in particular attracted the attention of staff and public alike.

With long-handled nets in hand, park staff — led by expert volunteer Bev Edwards — could be seen thigh-deep in the vernal ponds, streams and lakes located within the park.

What were they doing?

Surveying for odonates (that’s dragonflies and damselflies to most of us).

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