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GREENSBORO — The Girl Scouts will sell off, among other things, a 114-acre Guilford County camping site with a lake, challenge course and hiking trails as part of an effort to streamline a property-heavy operation.

The board of directors of the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont — the result of a merger in 2009 of four councils in the central and western parts of the state — made the decision after months of inventorying properties and determining the costs of maintaining them.

“We have eight camp properties that are far more than we need for our council size, and they are expensive to run,” said Marcia Cole, the organization’s chief executive officer .

Camp Douglas Long, off Kivett Drive just south of Greensboro, is the first property the group has decided to close. The move is expected to save the organization between $75,000 and $100,000 a year.

A price for the camp, which dates to the 1920s, has yet to be determined.

“The members weren’t using it that much,” said Lisa Crawford, marketing director for the Peaks to Piedmont Council, which covers 40 counties.

All reservations are being honored before the park officially closes. The park ranger is being reassigned to another property.

Cole said the sale should not be viewed as a sign of the group having financial problems.

The organization had the “best of cookie sales” this past year, and camping numbers among the 17,000 members are up, Cole said. The nonprofit is able to provide the programs and support the services necessary to maintain membership, she said.

“This is really a process that needs to happen,” she said. “It’s like having 10 boats and how often do you go boating? We know some people will be disappointed. We know people love their camp.”

Other councils are similarly assessing their property and resources after a realignment through Girl Scouts of the USA, which has gone from 313 councils to 112 through mergers, said Michelle Tompkins, media manager for the national group.

The Girl Scout organization will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.

“We’re dealing with people’s memories and people’s feelings (when closing camps), but we have to remind them we are making these decisions with the best intentions for the girls,” she said.

The Peaks to Piedmont board also decided to auction Camp Dot Perry, a property in Wilkes County that has been on the market.

The board, which conducted a survey and held town halls for Girl Scouts and volunteers, is retaining most of the remaining properties, including Camp Ginger Cascades on 226 acres in Caldwell County, which has been recognized by the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.

The futures of Camp Seven Springs in Davie County and Camp Rotary near Gastonia will be discussed at the group’s August board meeting.

The Keyauwee Program Center and Circle C Ranch in Randolph County, with its Olympic-size swimming pool, riding stables and four-person cabins, will remain open.

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com