Unless otherwise noted here, beaches are open, and there are no known concerns with lake water quality. Update: August 19, 2024 at 10:53 a.m. Due to current and anticipated weather conditions, both Children’s Beach and Pier Beach will be closed today. Update: August 3, 2024 at 3 p.m. Pier Beach will be closed for the remainder of the day due to a staffing issue. Update: July 15, 2024 at 9:15 a.m. The lake is clear, so the Boys’ and Girls’ Club participants may be swimming today as part of the program. Update: July 14, 2024 at 2:43 p.m. Children’s and...
Due to ongoing supply issues with our distributor, aluminum water bottles will not be available at this time. As a result, you may notice plastic water bottles being used on the grounds. We strongly encourage all patrons to bring and use their own refillable water bottles. The water refill stations are fully operational and readily available for your convenience. The water refill stations are located at the following- If you need a refillable water bottle, you can purchase one at the Chautauqua Bookstore and take full advantage of the water refill stations.
Children’s and Pier Beach at Chautauqua Institution are open for swimming. Any future lake conditions affecting the beach will be posted under News and Announcements on the homepage of chq.org. As you may recall, the beaches were closed for a short time last weekend over concerns about algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake. After testing the Algal Bloom was determined to be nontoxic. We are working closely with the NYS Department of Health and Courtney Wigdalh-Perry, PhD, an associate professor of Biology at SUNY Fredonia and a leading scientist who studies algal blooms in Chautauqua Lake. Wigdahl-Perry told us the water...
Chautauqua Institution today announced The Roe Green Foundation has made a transformational $4.5 million commitment to advance the completion of the new Roe Green Theater Center, a state-of-the-art, centralized facility for Chautauqua Theater Company (CTC). This gift, which consists of a $3 million outright contribution and a $1.5 million matching challenge gift, comes after a long history of supporting theater arts at Chautauqua, including the New Play Workshop series. The new Roe Green Theater Center will complement Chautauqua’s beloved Bratton Theater, adding a black box/flexible space, rehearsal studios, offices for CTC leadership and other support spaces to ensure that CTC...
At its May quarterly meeting, the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees approved a resolution to achieve a net zero carbon impact goal by the year 2050. The resolution empowers staff to develop a climate action plan for the Institution that: (1) achieves net-zero carbon emissions for Institution operations by no later than 2050; (2) ensures compliance with all applicable federal and state climate laws and policies; (3) sets annual benchmarks that progressively reduce the Institution’s greenhouse gas emissions; (4) funds measures to achieve these benchmarks through sustainable annual budgets; (5) advances measures to improve the long-term climate resilience of the...
You may have seen signs around Chautauqua Lake that say “KEEP THE LAKE A LAKE! — Object to WETLAND regulation for Chautauqua Lake.” These signs are about the upcoming wetland regulation changes in New York State, effective January 2025 and 2028. While regulations affecting property use can be concerning, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has indicated that these new changes will likely have minimal impact on property owners around Chautauqua Lake, including Chautauqua Institution. In October 2022, Chautauqua Institution’s Vice President of Campus Planning and Operations John Shedd and Director of NYSDEC Region 9 Julie Barrett...
Chautauqua Institution today announced a series of events, activities and initiatives that will be part of the quintessential Chautauqua experience in the summer of 2024 to commemorate and celebrate the Institution’s 150th Anniversary. Organized around the theme The Seasons and Stories of Chautauqua, the anniversary calendar celebrates the dream of our founders, Lewis Miller and Bishop John Heyl Vincent, who together understood the importance of education across a lifetime. Their vision for Chautauqua called for Americans to make their leisure time matter by intentionally engaging in interdisciplinary and intergenerational learning and personal growth experiences. That vision has framed the main...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the appointment of Joseph Futral to Senior Director of Program Operations and Production. In this role, Futral will project-manage major initiatives that involve production and programming resources. He will supervise production for all programs to continuously advance the operational and strategic aspects of production within the context of the Institution’s 150 Forward strategic plan. Futral returns to Chautauqua having served as the Institution’s first Director of Production during the COVID-19 pandemic. His role played a critical part in designing and operating our outdoor Performance Pavilion on Pratt for Theater and Opera. Holding esteemed leadership roles such...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the appointment of Jill McCormick to the position of Director of Communications and Special Projects. In this role, McCormick will be responsible for developing and implementing communications plans to inform the public, news media, and internal audiences of Chautauqua’s programs and operations, bringing Chautauqua’s compelling mission to life through story. She will also serve as project manager for Chautauqua Travels, a new venture that brings Chautauqua’s mission to educational group travel experiences in the U.S. and abroad. McCormick comes to Chautauqua following a successful, 30+ year career in television news, serving in a variety of roles including...
Chautauqua Institution today announced the promotion of Senior Director of Marketing and Analytics Vanessa Weinert, to the role of vice president for marketing and communications. She replaces Emily Morris, who is stepping down from the vice-presidential role to focus on brand strategy in support of the Institution’s goals to grow Summer Assembly attendance and year-round engagement. Weinert has served the Institution since 2012 in a series of roles on the marketing team. Most recently, she was senior director of marketing and analytics with responsibility for leading and implementing marketing campaigns and the Institution’s data analytics program. As vice president, she will...
