Oct. 20—EAU CLAIRE — The Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes has announced plans to sell three campsites, including one located northwest of Cornell.

Camp Nawakwa sits on a 76-acre parcel along Highway E. The Girl Scouts has owned the site since 1951. Pre-pandemic, roughly 1,300 members visited the campgrounds annually.

Missy Brozek, the organization's communications director, said it is roughly an hour drive from Eau Claire to the remote campgrounds. There are several buildings on the grounds, but they are aging.

"It was just going to be a big investment," Brozek said of the cost to update the site.

Brozek said the goal is to find a new location closer to Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls that will allow them outdoor opportunities.

It was a difficult decision to announce plans to sell, Brozek added.

"People are definitely sad," she said. "We absolutely understand how difficult this is."

The next step will be to line up a realtor and market the property.

"We wanted to make sure our membership knew first," Brozek said. "We really hope it will stay a camp and be used for youth experiences."

Other campsites the Girl Scouts plan to sell are located in Kaukana and Bailey's Harbor. Additionally, a portion of a fourth campground in Wisconsin Rapids will be sold. They also plan to close offices in Green Bay and Schofield.

"We were getting to the point where we had more properties than we were able to maintain," Brozek said. "We had to make a lot of tough decisions."