The Flathead Lakers have moved to a new building on Flathead Lake after more than 20 years at its previous Polson location in an effort to better accommodate future growth and host more educational events and community gatherings.

The organization, which advocates for clean water and healthy ecosystems in the Flathead Watershed, is departing its second-floor location on First Street West and will now be housed in the lakefront Salish Building at 110 Main St. in Polson.

Kate Sheridan said the topic of moving first arose last summer when she accepted her position as the Flathead Lakers new executive director. She said a switch-up in leadership is typically an ideal time to address other potential changes in an organization.

“In my initial conversations with staff, the board, and Lakers members, many people felt that we had outgrown our old location,” Sheridan said. “One of the goals of the Flathead Lakers in 2020 is to become more visible and involved in the community, and having a physical location that supports that goal is essential.”

The owners of the group’s new space, Ben and Erika Binger, are strong Flathead Lakers supporters who, according to Sheridan, acquired the property with the vision to give back to the community. The two parties reached a rental agreement in the fall of 2019 and just finished moving in this month.

The new Flathead Lakers home, which is handicap-accessible, is three times the size of the last building and offers the organization its own conference room, an education room for classes, lectures, and showing films, and a reading room to support a library.

Sheridan said planning is already in the works for a series of open houses to engage the public. Among other plans for expansion, the group has plans to host science lectures and bulk up its “Citizen Science” offerings, or volunteer data-gathering for monitoring lake quality.

Reporter Kianna Gardner may be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected]