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source: Copyright © 2006 KOAA-TV
VIDEO: Native American group raises opposition to Christo project
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source: Copyright © 2006 NewWest
Artist Christo’s Plan to Shroud River Hangs Like a Cloud Over Communities
By Ken Wright, 3-17-06
It’ll be a massive work of art: a rippling roof of fabric covering the Arkansas River Gorge east of Salida, Colo., for more than six and a half miles. Tentatively scheduled for two weeks during the summer of 2009, the “Over the River” project would be comprised of nearly a thousand nylon panels hanging between 10 and 24 feet over the river, anchored by cables to 2,400 cement blocks placed along the banks. The panels would let light and water through, and move in the wind.
Conceived by artist team Christo and Jeanne-Claude (married, but no last name for either, but, oddly, both born on June 13, 1935), “Over the River” has been in the works for nearly 15 years. It’s only the latest – and, rumors say, perhaps the last – of many such grand creations by the pair.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude first collaborated on their large-scale art endeavors in 1961, on two projects, titled “Stacked Oil Barrels” and “Dockside Packages at Cologne Harbor.” In 1972, the team came to Colorado to erect “Valley Curtain,” near Rifle. The project was shredded by 60-mile-an-hour winds in a little more than a day. Most recently, they created a 16-day exhibit in New York City’s Central Park that featured more than 20 miles of nylon-paneled walkways. Millions visited the display.
And that’s what has many residents along the Arkansas River concerned.
In the summer, this section of the Arkansas River is hugely popular for commercial rafting. Along the rim of the river gorge also runs the scenic U.S. 50, which is a popular auto-tour route – as well as the main thoroughfare for residents. This, of course, makes the site perfect for the artists, who want the public to be able to enjoy their work from both above, along the road, and below, on the river. For the people who live in the little towns along the river, though, the project threatens to choke the area.
During the project’s public comment period for a BLM environmental assessment, between early December to early February the agency received some 1,100 letters and emails. Meetings held for the EA process drew up to 300 people in communities up and down the Arkansas River and U.S. 50, from Canon City to Cotapaxi. Also, about 700 residents from the most-affected towns have also organized into a group called “Rags Over the Arkansas River.”
Comments to the BLM targeted congestion, distraction of drivers on the highway, delayed response of emergency services, and the impact on bighorn sheep and birds that utilize the river – and the projected quarter-million spectators who will encounter the many rattlesnakes the inhabit the canyon rim in the summer. As an example of the dangers, on Feb. 15 a truck crashed on the stretch of U.S. 50 alongside the Christo site and spilled uranium ore across the highway.
Arguments in favor of the project cite the clean track record of the artists on their other big artworks around the world, and notes that the project could create up to 700 temporary jobs while bringing more visitors to both the towns and the rafting industry.
According to a BLM official, the comments run about 60 percent against the project. The EA will be released in the fall, later than the originally planned June release because of the number of comments. Adding to the uncertainty of the entire affair, the EA can be appealed after its release. Meanwhile, the Colorado Department of Transportation has asked that a traffic plan be drawn from a analysis performed by a consulting firm hired by the artists, and the BLM has asked for a detailed building schedule.
Meanwhile, the debate goes on. The Denver Post’s “Rocky Mountain Ranger” column offered a sarcastic jab at the whole idea. Author Susan Tweit, a resident of nearby Salida, also weighed in on the issue in High Country News’s “Writers on the Range” syndicated column recently, arguing that regardless of what happens, the project has already been a success. “Whether the project makes it through the permit process, it has already succeeded in engaging communities up and down the canyon,” she wrote, “spurring us to talk about what we cherish. That, to my mind, is the whole point of art: It forces us to pay attention; it transforms our view of the everyday world.”
Closer to home, Colorado Central Magazine, a monthly publication covering south central Coloraodo’s Arkansas River and San Luis valleys, made the “Over the River” debate its cover story for the most recent issue, titled “Christozilla: Raging through the Canyon.” In Martha Quillen’s editorial, she observes that “problems result when one man’s dream is another man’s nightmare.” She also notes, though, that “the irony is this time around it’s the art lovers who are talking about serving our economic interests and seizing the important opportunity.”
source
Copyright © 2006 NPR
AUDIO: Two Artists, a River and a Debate over Public Space
Adam Burke reports on Over The River, NPR All Things Considered, March 11, 2006
source: Copyright © 2006 The Cañon City Daily Record
Residents urge commissioners to say ‘no’ to Christo project
Debbie Bell
The Daily Record
HOWARD — Locally heavy snow did not deter area residents from turning out to voice their objections to the “Over the River” project Wednesday night at the Fremont County Commissioners forum.
After listening patiently to Commissioners Ed Norden and Larry Lasha review a host of other issues, speakers vocally protested the proposed Christo and Jeanne-Claude art project and urged the county to oppose the project at every turn.
Norden explained the approval process and emphasized no application has yet been filed with the county.
“I still think this is a long way out,” Norden said, “especially considering the sheer number of agencies involved. All of us have said we intend to maintain the integrity of that process. Everybody who has an opinion, whether it be for or against, will have the opportunity to be heard.”
Many of those attending wanted assurances from the commissioners that they would oppose the project, but the only guarantee they received from Norden was the promise to host a public hearing in the western end of the county and a guarantee that every question and opinion would be considered.
“We will bring a public hearing to District 3, which will be most impacted,” Norden said.
He said the commissioners would pay closer attention to those who would be directly impacted by the project than to outsiders, and would make a decision based on what was best for the county.
The impact on day-to-day living, including possible delays and the safety of area residents, was uppermost in speakers’ minds throughout the evening.
“Who will bear the liability if there is loss of life?” resident Phyllis Singer asked. “Because there will be.”
Finally switching topics, Norden, the moderator for the evening, briefly touched on the pay hike for county employees recently proposed in a state bill. He emphasized the issue is being considered by the state, not by the county, and said an increase in salary was the last thing the commissioners were seeking.
“We don’t need the distraction right now,” Norden said, pointing to the current budget crisis the county is facing.
In discussing Fremont County’s ongoing budget woes, Norden said the possibility exists to put the issue on the ballot to ask for additional funding.
“We may come to the voters this November to try to find a resolution,” Norden said. “The harsh reality is, we are worse off than we ever thought.”
Resident Henry Baker was vehemently opposed to any kind of tax increase.
“We have to cut our own budgets,” Baker said. “We can’t go out and ask somebody for more money. When people want services they have to pay for it. We have to tighten our belt. I think the county, state and federal ought to do their belts, too.”
Fremont County Sheriff Jim Beicker, whose department has been severely impacted by the budget crunch, he said his force has tightened its belt as much as possible. In fact, Beicker said he has been forced to cut coverage to the west end of Fremont County.
“It hasn’t been a big problem so far but I’m not satisfied. We need more coverage,” said Beicker. “We need more deputies.
“The cost of doing business has skyrocketed for us just like it has for you,” Beicker said.
Residents also were concerned about physical address issues that could affect the level of emergency response that residences receive. County code enforcement officer Robert Sapp was on hand Wednesday and said his office recently made changes to more than 50 western Fremont County addresses to bring them into conformity.
“There used to be six or eight people who assigned addresses,” Sapp said. “People had addresses that made no sense at all, and it was real hard for emergency responders to find you.
“Rural addressing is based on footages,” Sapp said. “Those numbers are actually very important.” He explained that the numeral part of an address tells emergency responders how far away a home is from a major road or highway.
The forum was one in a series hosted by the County Commissioners in an effort to take the issues into local communities in a convenient public format. Commissioner Mike Steihl was unable to attend.
source: Copyright © 2006 The Denver Post
Red-tape flap over Christo's "River"
By Rich Tosches
Denver Post Staff Writer
Cañon City - The artist Christo, as you likely know, wants to stretch sheets of brightly colored fabric across the Arkansas River. The planning for the project is now in its ninth year. By way of comparison, it took only five years to build the Hoover Dam, four years to build the Golden Gate Bridge and just a few months for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to create an entire family.
Today, the plan by Christo and fellow artist Jeanne- Claude to stretch the sheets across the river and send shimmering shafts of light dancing onto the water is well on its way to a scheduled unveiling in the summer of 2009.
There are only a few remaining roadblocks. And frankly, those obstacles are so minor they're hardly worth mentioning. Approval from the Bureau of Land Management, for example. And approval from the Colorado State Parks department, the state Department of Transportation, State Patrol, Division of Wildlife, officials in Fremont and Chaffee counties, officials in Cañon City and Salida to the west. Oh, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Thumbs up or down
All of that approval hinges on the ongoing assessment by those government folks of the impact the bright, flapping sheets might have on a few things.
Traffic is one.
And, of course, river rafting, fishing, stress levels of bighorn sheep, movement of dirt and rock, non-native weed infestation, things that might fall into the river and thus require a special permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, bald eagles crashing into the cables, rattlesnakes biting the tourists, the cannon that shot Hunter S.
Thompson's ashes into the air near Aspen, cement blocks to anchor the cables, whether the fabric goes down the river and clogs Cañon City's water plant, the wind, vandalism and, last but not least, trucks crashing and splashing startled art lovers with uranium.
Which leads to the obvious question: What the heck does the ash cannon that blasted Thompson's remains into the forest have to do with this?
"We'd like to get FAA air restriction on planes and helicopters flying above the river," said the man who has been up to his ears in the Christo plan for all of its nine years, BLM environmental coordinator Pete Zwaneveld.
"When they shot that Hunter Thompson guy into the air, they had an FAA permit. We'd like to get something like that."
Zwaneveld, 57, a jeans and plaid-shirt kind of guy, is paid for his work on the Christo project not with tax money but with a seemingly bottomless fund set up by the wealthy artist.
He sits in his BLM cubicle in Cañon City these days, wrestling with 1,100 letters and e-mails he has received from the public. His summary of the notes will be part of his BLM report due out in September - a huge factor in whether Christo gets the thumbs up or just the thumb. The public comment period officially closed about two weeks ago.
"I'd say the notes are about 60-40 against it," Zwaneveld said Thursday. "I'm neutral, but I'd say there's certainly a chance the project will happen. Maybe not in 2009, but maybe in 2010."
Which will give everyone a little more time to deal with the issues. Such as the rattlesnakes.
"People will get out of their cars to take pictures," he said. "They'll want to get up high on the rocks along the river canyon.
There are lots, and I mean lots, of rattlesnakes in those rocks."
Potential hazards
With snakes and tourists mingling, "Over the River" (the official name of the project) could easily become "Into the Ambulance."
Which is another problem. With thousands of visitors flocking to the two-week art exhibit, U.S. 50 along the Arkansas River would become deluged with traffic. And construction of the project - a real road-jammer - would take two years, according to Zwaneveld, who said he has met with Christo and Jeanne-Claude about two dozen times since 1996.
"Getting an ambulance in there would be a problem," Zwaneveld said. "We might have ambulances stationed 24 hours a day along the river."
And the sheep?
"That's a real concern," he said. "A few years ago the Division of Wildlife did a study on the bighorns, implanting heart monitors inside several of them. When the sheep saw a raft, which is common, their heart rates went way up. A letter from a Colorado State University professor called the sheep 'nervous Nellies' and said the stress levels would kill them."
Making the Nellies especially nervous would be the massive cranes and bulldozers needed to install 2,400 gigantic cement anchor blocks along the riverbanks. Each block would weigh about 400 pounds, with a pair (one on each side of the river) supporting one of the 1,200 cables.
"Each block needs a level pad," Zwaneveld said. "And we're concerned that disrupting all that dirt would allow non-native weeds to grow."
On a brighter note, the uranium might kill the weeds.
On Feb. 15, a truck carrying uranium ore on U.S. 50 near the town of Swissvale - one of Christo's most coveted stretches of river for some of his fabric panels - crashed on a sharp turn, spilling uranium onto the road.
"The Department of Transportation is pretty concerned about a thing like that happening with all those tourists packed into the canyon," said Zwaneveld.
And then there are the eagles. Many of them winter along the river, and, well, there'd be 1,200 metal cables there, too.
"What we definitely wouldn't want," Zwaneveld said, "is having eagles fly into the cables. It would kill them. Or they'd break a wing and fall into the river and drown. There's the Endangered Species Act, the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Bald Eagle Protection Act. ...
"That would really be bad."
Staff writer Rich Tosches writes each Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at rtosches@denverpost.com
Dan Ainsworth stands in the Howard Fire Department to address the Fremont County Commissioners on Wednesday night. The county representatives hosted the public forum to discuss current issues and receive input from local residents. More than 50 residents attended.
Pete Zwaneveld of the BLM said he has received 1,100 letters and e-mails from the public regarding Christo s Arkansas River project. "I d say the notes are about 60-40 against it." (Post / Rich Tosches)