Christo's Over the River set for approval, but opponents vow to fight on
- Details
- Created on Thursday, 28 July 2011 17:32
- Written by R. Scott Rappold
By R. Scott Rappold, The Gazette
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is set to approve Over the River, a controversial project by artist Christo to drape fabric over 5.9 miles of the Arkansas River.
Sixteen years after the eccentric contemporary artist first proposed to suspend fabric panels above the water between Cañon City and Salida, and five years after the agency launched its review, officials released the final environmental impact statement, or EIS, Thursday. The document says allowing the project to go ahead is the BLM’s “preferred alternative.”
While other local permits are required, and while state approval of Over the River is tied up in court, the BLM’s acquiescence has always been the most significant hurdle to the project’s installation.
Christo does not do phone interviews, but in a news release he said he was “very pleased” about the agency’s decision, though he and his staff were still reviewing the 1,686-page document.
“This is the first time in history that a work of art has undergone an environmental impact statement, so this is a significant milestone for us and artists everywhere who want to create art on public lands,” he said.
Some area residents have voiced concern about extra traffic, since the project would be an international attraction and could draw 400,000 people during two years of construction and another 500,000 during two weeks of display. Others have said it would negatively impact wildlife, including bighorn sheep. The EIS says 221 sheep live in the project area and could be stressed by construction noise and the presence of more people than normal.
But the approval includes sufficient mitigations, said BLM spokesman Steven Hall.
“That is not to say there won’t be impacts from Over the River, but the final EIS identifies ways we can mitigate these impacts,” Hall said.
Watch a video of Christo describing his work and the public nature of art in a discussion with Gazette staff members.
The artist would spend at least $500,000 on bighorn sheep habitat projects in the area and limit work in certain areas during lambing season. Cables would be marked with avian flight diverters to prevent birds from striking them. During construction, one lane of U.S. Highway 50 would remain open at all times, and work zone delays would be limited to 15 minutes at a time.
Construction could begin next spring, with the full display taking place the first two weeks of August 2014. The fabric would be scattered in eight segments along 42 miles of the river.
The mitigations are little comfort to Dan Ainsworth, president of Rags Over the Arkansas River, an opposition group. He had hoped the BLM would deny the project or allow a more limited scale, something Christo has said would not comply with his artistic vision.
“Hardly anyone in this area is concerned about his artistic vision,” Ainsworth said Thursday.
“We are deeply concerned about this. If they allow this to happen in its full glory, they will be violating every rule they’ve ever put forward regarding protection of wildlife, protection of ecology, protection of the river and the people who live and work there and depend on the river for their livelihood,” he said.
While the BLM approval won’t be official until it publishes a record of decision in the Federal Register, federal agencies rarely deviate from the “preferred alternative” after a final EIS is released.
Ainsworth’s group last week sued the state parks and wildlife board over that agency’s approval of Over the River. The state’s Wildlife Commission had opposed the project, but that became moot when the agency merged with the state parks department. Opponents hope the lawsuit can stop Over the River, because the BLM’s approval is contingent on every other agency also approving it.
Opponents are also pinning their hopes on stopping local approval. Commissioners in Chaffee and Fremont counties must issue permits. Christo’s representatives will apply for those permits this year.
Christo is known for large, showy, public art installations, such as wrapping Germany’s Reichstag in plastic fabric. From 1970 to 1972, he worked on Valley Curtain, a massive curtain on Colorado’s Western Slope, only to have it removed because of strong winds after 28 hours.
See photos and videos of art installations around the world by Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude.
Over the River has the support of the rafting community, art advocates and many local, state and federal elected officials, who see it as a possible boon for the state’s economy. The BLM expects interest to be such that it plans to ration boating permits — for commercial and private trips — during the display and weeks leading up to it.
To comment:
• Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Fax: 719-269-8599
• Mail: BLM Royal Gorge Field Office, Over the River Comments, 3028 E. Main St., Cañon City, CO 81212.
Include “OTR Comments” in the subject line of comments that are e-mailed or faxed.
Weather
Current Contests
