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Camp Mustelid is located in the heart of Cassan National Park in the heart of the Troutwhisker mountain range. The property spans approximately 100+ acres and is quickly expanding from its humble beginnings! A safe haven for all things wild and wondrous, the campground is determined to set an example of a harmonious future shared between people and mother nature! Please be sure to check our map again for any updates as we continue to build!
Happy Camping!
1.) MAIN OFFICE
The Main Office is located at the front entrance of the campground, coming right off the path from a local Cassan train station. This is where guests and visitors can check-in and sign up for events that are happening on or off the grounds. Campers can also purchase firewood, supplies, snacks, and merchandise here! While not necessarily meant to be a communal space, you can always feel free to take a seat in the front room and drink some fresh coffee that's brewed every morning! Additionally, there're always some goodies from the camp kitchen to snack on while you plan your day! Directors Mel and Bird are most easily found in the main office since they live on the second floor of the A-frame building. You can tell they live there with all the bird artwork, faux taxidermy, and potted plants they have adorning the entire indoor space.
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2.) THE STOATUAM [SToh-CHoo-uhm] From Latin word for "statue"
Just outside the main office is our mascot, Willow the Stoatuam. This eleven-foot-tall statue of a stoat was carved out of a fallen willow tree, hence its name. Willow has been around since the camp was first founded, and the tree used to make the carving is believed to have been old growth, meaning it could have been several hundreds of years old. Mysteriously, Willow will still occasionally sprout leaves and small branches, suggesting that the somehow crownless tree is still alive. The Stoatuam is the center of many celebrations including camper initiation, seasonal festivals, and holidays!
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3.) NUTHATCH CAMPSITE
You could say that this exact location is where Camp Mustelid was born! It is where the camp directors kept their tent while the main office was being built. One morning, both directors were awakened by a stoat fiddling with the side of their tent, trying to break in and grab a piece of jerky it smelled inside. That day, it was decided what animal the campground would be named after, and what its mascot should be. Campers actually know this campsite best for its relationship to the sugar house, since people usually wake up to the sweet smell of boiling maple syrup during the harvesting seasons.
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4.) SUGAR HOUSE
It wouldn't be camping without some fireside pancakes in the morning! And no pancake is complete without Camp Mustelid's homemade maple syrup! This sugar house was built shortly after local red maple trees kept being identified on hikes into the close by Troutwhisker Mountains. Camp Mustelid has been making its own maple syrup ever since, and it comes in a variety of different shades and flavors. The "house special" is the spiced maple syrup, which has a homemade cinnamon-spice recipe infused into it, giving your pancakes a bit of a kick to get your day going!
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5.) TITMOUSE CAMPSITE
Originally, the area of land that would become Camp Mustelid was a bit of a sad sight. The Titmouse Campsite area, in particular, was littered with old mining equipment and trash, along with dead and diseased trees plagued with an odd black mold. It was a challenge, but like the rest of the grounds, the Titmouse Campsite has been restored to a natural, lush landscape that's full of life! Campers who stay here know it best for the abundance of birds that visit them from Feller's Birdsacre.
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6.) OUTDOOR KITCHEN
Some people say that outdoor kitchens attract pests. Those people have no sense of adventure! Sure, the occasional mink or raccoon peeks through the elevated floorboards looking for the sizzling bacon it's smelling, but who's complaining about that? The outdoor kitchen can be used by any camper, and is even equipped with iron and cobblestone ovens/stoves!
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7.) POPPY'S POND
This pond is the center point of the entire camp. It was named after Poppy, the directors' pet cat. Poppy can often be seen lounging on the lip of the circular window of the main office, watching the pond from inside the second floor. Occasionally, a mink will catch a fish and splash around as it wrestles with its lunch, causing Poppy to meow aggressively. Keep an ear out for the campground's unique mustelid alarm call!
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8.) MINK WILLOW
This weeping willow tree, as you may have guessed, is a favorite hideaway for the population of mink in these woods. During the breeding season, families of mink commonly make a den in the roots of the willow, and parents have even been seen teaching their kits to fish in the pond. Being that they are naturally evasive and quick animals, it is truly a gift to have such a guaranteed mustelid-watching spot on the campground! To keep a close eye on the local wildlife, the hidden dens in the willow have been equipped with cameras that stream to a screen in the main office, so that all visitors can have a glimpse into the lives of our slick little friends!
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9.) WOOD DITCH
Large tree trunks are kept in this spot. These trunks are typically chopped here to make for firewood, but can also be used for whittling, creating furniture, or even making birdhouses and bat boxes over at the woodshop!
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10.) COMMUNAL CAMPFIRE
Campers flock to this spot all the time to set bonfires, roast some marshmallows, and tell scary fireside stories! The communal campfire is what brings everyone together, and a lot of meetings and parties are hosted around it. Directors will usually spend time here starting the fire around sunset, and stick around to point out bats and owls to campers sitting with them. If you're ever feeling alone in the woods, the communal campfire is always a great place to go to chat and make friends! This is also groundskeeper Huckleberry's favorite place to sit, play his guitar or harmonica, and sing his own songs after dark. Huck's curiously fizzy homemade apple cider is usually involved.
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11.) A-FRAME COTTAGE (FOR SALE)
If you're interested in having a little home away from home here at Camp Mustelid, consider purchasing one of our cottages! Cottages come with special perks, including the ability to name your cottage on the map, have yourself listed as a resident of the camp, exclusive art, and more! More information on our listings soon!
12.) OAK COTTAGE (FOR SALE)
If you're interested in having a little home away from home here at Camp Mustelid, consider purchasing one of our cottages! Cottages come with special perks, including the ability to name your cottage on the map, have yourself listed as a resident of the camp, exclusive art, and more! More information on our listings soon!
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13.) PONDSIDE COTTAGE (FOR SALE)
If you're interested in having a little home away from home here at Camp Mustelid, consider purchasing one of our cottages! Cottages come with special perks, including the ability to name your cottage on the map, have yourself listed as a resident of the camp, exclusive art, and more! More information on our listings soon!
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14.) FELLER'S BIRDSACRE
Camp Mustelid wouldn't be the same without the chorus of bird songs we wake up to every morning! You can rest assured that those birds always have a place to call home here at our bird sanctuary garden! This patch of land is equipped with everything to make birds happy: feeders of all kinds, baths, berry bushes, flowers, ponds, and houses. The garden is also diligently looked after by the garden society, which ensures that native plant species flourish and provide for our birds!
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15.) BIRDING SOCIETY HOUSE
This is the home base of the C.M. Birding Society! This society has made it their mission to provide for all birds that may choose to visit or make a home of Camp Mustelid. It is in charge of keeping everything bird-friendly; from managing feeders to painting anti-bird-collision artwork on windows. This building comes equipped with a front-row view of Feller's Birdsacre, and all manner of supplies like scopes, binoculars, records, cameras, books, feed, and much more! It's also where Society Head Jay Feller lives and conducts his ornithology research.
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16.) BIRD WATCHING TOWER
This 30ft-tall tower is one of the Birding Society's greatest achievements! It has one of the most amazing views of Camp Mustelid and is excellent for bird watching. Birds apparently love it too, as multiple hawks and osprey have nested in its crow's nest.
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17.) WELL FOR THE WILD
Although this well is no longer functional, it remains standing as a reminder of the complicated and ecologically tragic history of Cassan. A few hundred years ago, the well served as a water source to Willowdale, a large town located In what is now the area of our campground. Unfortunately, residents of this town brought environmental destruction to the surrounding forest through industrial activities, gravely injuring the health of the local ecosystem. This well is one of the many remnants of this sad past, and due to its historical significance, it must continue to remain where it stands. Camp Mustelid has chosen to have it serve as a reminder to build a better future for the environment, and has placed a small plaque on the well inscribed with the words “Respect the Wild.” The well is now mostly used by Birding Society members who place birdseed in its old bucket, or corn kernels on the well’s seal for squirrels.
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18.) BLACKBIRD'S GARDEN
This riverside garden is named after the abundant population of Red-winged Blackbirds that have made a home of the reeds and other plants that have been carefully selected by the Garden Society to grow in this spot. Campers haven't had the best reviews of this garden, citing that the constant "conk-la-ree!" calls of the blackbirds can get a little noisy and annoying. Not everything about nature is serene, but the blackbirds always make up for their occasional noisiness with their dazzling black and red wings decorating the skies of the campground!
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19.) MEPHITID BRIDGE
Close relatives of the mustelid family, this bridge honors the mephitids, or more commonly known as the skunk family! Up until recently, it was thought that skunks were indeed mustelids, but new research has made scientists classify them into a separate family. Camp Mustelid doesn't usually have many skunk visitors, but down by Lake Cedarstipple, there's often plenty of skunks roaming around at night if you're looking in the right places. Like weasels, skunks get a bad rap, so the bridge was built to bring attention to their importance in our local ecosystem, along with the fact that these often despised creatures are actually quite friendly by nature and should get a little more respect!
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20.) WOODSHOP
This little shed is where a lot of woodworking magic happens! From benches to bat boxes, everything that can be made out of wood is made using the equipment found in the woodshop! If you’re ever looking to catch up with Groundskeeper Huck, look no further, since he’s usually spending his time power sawing something, or leading a class for the Carpentry Club right in this building. Multiple other groups at Camp Mustelid also use the space for various badge-led projects, such as Garden Society members using it for building plant beds, or campers looking to use whittling supplies to earn the Weasel Whittler Badge during the Harvest Festival. Almost all of the lumber used for Camp Mustelid’s various needs is recycled or from hazard-trees that need to be downed for safety reasons around Cassan.
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21.) FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN
In order to ensure Camp Mustelid is as sustainable as possible, along with making sure fresh ingredients for whipping up something good for dinner are readily available to everyone on the campground, the fruit and vegetable garden is here to provide! Looked after by the Garden Society, this magnificent garden yields harvest after harvest of delicious produce all year round. Everything from pumpkins to blueberries are grown right here in the heart of the campground.
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22.) GARDEN SOCIETY HOUSE
The base of operations for the C.M. Garden Society! One of the most important groups that serve as a part of Camp Mustelid, the Garden Society tends not only to growing food, but also to maintaining/planting sanctuary gardens, monitoring the health of the local flora, and reforesting areas of the neighboring woods! This building is equipped with everything needed to meet those goals: a greenhouse for seedlings and other growing-projects, countless tools for digging and planting, and a whole library of seed packets. It is also where Garden Society head, Dr. Peony, makes her home on the second floor.
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23.) WILDFLOWER PARK
Much like other sanctuary gardens on the campground, this is an area dedicated to blooming native wildflowers and providing a valuable resource for the animals that rely on them! Through the efforts of the Garden Society, members have successfully created a breeding ground for these precious plants that provide food for insects, pollen for bees, caterpillars for birds, and so on up the food chain. It seems that the Cassan forest, in return for the flowers, has given back to the park by bestowing many little wilderblessings upon it. Such as kaleidoscopes of butterflies fluttering around it during the day, or glimmering sparkles of fireflies at night during the spring/summertime blooming season.
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24.) MAIN KITCHEN
If you ever catch the mouth-watering scent of fresh stew simmering to perfection, or sweet wildberry muffins baking in a distant oven, you’re likely not far away from the Main Kitchen. Chef Beth is cooking up something delicious just about every day, whether it be a few treats to be set out in the Main Office or a feast for the entire camp to enjoy. The building is equipped with a restaurant-size kitchen and some seating for a few hungry campers who are too excited to start eating to bring their meal all the way back to their tents. Anyone on the campground is welcome to come in, see what’s cooking, and place an order. Or, if you’d like to do some campsite cooking yourself and need some groceries, you are equally welcome to peruse the downstairs walk-in fridge and see what's in stock. Most of the ingredients used for the food prepared at Camp Mustelid are either locally sourced or harvested by campers/staff! So rest assured, when cream of mushroom soup is on the menu, you better believe those oyster mushrooms were picked from a nearby tree the same day they found their way into your hearty meal. Outside of Beth's day-to-day culinary whimsy, the Main Kitchen is a spot where many different campers convene for a variety of occasions. Such as the Cooking Club, which comes in for lessons or to help Beth with some of her work. Or the Birding Society, which pops in multiple times in the spring and summer months to make homemade nectar for hummingbird feeders. Most people just like to come into snack and catch up with friends!
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25.) ART SHOP
In an effort to showcase the many creative talents on the campground, Camp Mustelid opened up this little yurt to have a place where campers and staff alike could put their artwork up for sale! It's now filled to the brim with amazing trinkets and art pieces crafted by people around the campground. Handmade jewelry, wood-carved animals, knit hats, wildlife paintings, and more are in store for you, so stop in and support our local artists by picking something special out!
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