Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Over The River

Opposition group plans summer of counter points

source: Copyright © 2007 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Opposition group plans summer of counter points

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Rags Over the Arkansas River of Howard, the group opposing the Christo and Jeanne-Claude plan to suspend fabric above portions of the Arkansas River, will increase its public information campaign this summer.

Group representatives said efforts will coincide with two Salida visits the artists have planned in coming weeks.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude will speak at the Steam Plant Theater and Performing Arts Center May 26 as part of the inaugural Colorado Art Ranch Artposium and again June 21 as a fund-raiser for the Steam Plant.

Ken Tiegs, ROAR vice president, said the group will distribute literature and refer people to its web site - www.roarcolorado.org - throughout the summer, not just during the artists' local visits.

ROAR members manned a booth at the recent Cañon City Blossom Festival and plans to have a presence at Arkansas River Cleanup-Greenup this weekend.

Group members will be at FIBArk in June, the weekend before the second Christo and Jeanne-Claude visit to the Steam Plant.

"There will be opportunities for both of us to inform the public," Tiegs said. "Any time Christo and 'Over the River' put out information it may elicit a response from us."

Group board member Ellen Bauder said, "We are developing a public information campaign that will present a fuller picture of the possible impacts of this project,"

ROAR is a non-profit organization with a mission of "preserving and protecting the headwaters of the Arkansas River, Bighorn Sheep Canyon, its inhabitants and the communities that depend upon them."

The May 26 Christo and Jeanne Claude presentation will be open only to artposium participants. Cost of the two-day artposium is $249.

The event will feature several speakers and presentations "exploring the confluence of writing, art, land issues and heritage," according to its Web site - www.coloradoartranch.org.

The Christo and Jeanne Claude presentation will include discussions of the artists' past projects in addition to information about "Over the River," artposium organizer Grant Pound said.

The artists' June 21 presentation will also deal with the "Over the River proposal." Cost is $20. More information is available at the theater, 530-0933.

Tiegs said ROAR members are much more interested in reading a 2,000-page document the artists submitted last month detailing plans for "Over the River" than in attending either local presentation.

Because the document is being reviewed by the Bureau of Land Management - the main permit agency for the project - it isn't available to the public.

The BLM is in the early stages of preparing an environmental impact statement for the project.

"We've asked when we can see the report," Tiegs said. "Our understanding is it's not going to be available to the public until the fall."

Bauder said, "It will take a long time to review, so we would like as much time as possible to read it and analyze it.

"We're anxious to see details of what is proposed, exactly where it will be, what it will involve and the time line. Everything else is just talk."

The project is planned as a two-week summer display affecting as much as 45 miles of the river between Salida and Cañon City. Estimates indicate the project won't be through the permit process until summer 2011 at the earliest.

Artists deliver plan

source: Copyright © 2007 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Artists deliver plan

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Christo and Jeanne Claude plan to suspend fabric above the Arkansas River. The couple delivered a 2,000 page document last week, essential to the environmental impact statement.
Photo: Courtesy Christo and Jeanne Claude

The most detailed account to date of the Christo and Jeanne Claude plan to suspend fabric over the Arkansas River arrived last week at the Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field office in Cañon City.

The 2,000-page document is an essential part of the environmental impact statement to which the bureau is committed as part of its approval process.

After reviewing the document, BLM officials plan to contract the environmental impact statement and continue with a decision about the controversial project.

Christo and Jeanne Claude have a history of out-waiting bureaucratic processes to complete large-scale public art displays that made them wealthy and famous.

Local opposition to the Over the River project is centered in the Howard area, the community that would likely be most effected by the two-week display. A group called Rags Over the Arkansas River formed to lead opposition.

Members believe the project will create major traffic congestion in the narrow canyon east of Salida and safety hazards for canyon residents.

The detailed plan received last week is another attempt by the artists to explain how they plan to stretch fabric in segments above a 40-mile section of river and how they propose to mitigate impact to canyon residents.

The document includes engineering, construction, removal, traffic and safety considerations.

Ken Smith, BLM spokesperson, said the agency isn't ready to release the document for public review.

"At some point we expect it will be available to the public, but we need to review it first," Smith said.

The BLM is working on an agreement with the artists about how the environmental impact statement will be executed. Smith said he could not determine when the statement would be complete.

"We have other things we're working on," he said. "It doesn't go to the front of our priority order. It fits in with our other priorities."

No official stance

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

No official stance
Chaffee County Commissioners tell Rags Over the Arkansas River they are not ready to make official stand

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Chaffee County Commissioners reminded members of Rags Over the Arkansas River on Monday they are not ready to take an official stand for or against the Christo and Jeanne Claude "Over the River" project.

Six members of ROAR spoke against the proposed public art display in the Bighorn Sheep Canyon during Monday's work session in Salida. Commissioner Jerry Mallett and Jim Osborne said the board of commissioners could not make a decision about the project until the Bureau of Land Management releases a draft of its environmental impact statement.

Commission chairman Tim Glenn was absent from Monday's meeting.

Cathey Young, a member of ROAR, suggested commissioners publicly state opposition to the project before the impact statement is released. Ken Tiegs of ROAR pointed to a letter from county weed coordinator Larry Walker in which Walker said the project would contribute to the spread of the elongated mustard weed.

"Noxious weeds increase rapidly when soil and native vegetation is disturbed," Walker wrote.

Commissioners said they are aware of Walker's concerns and the concerns of ROAR members. They assured opposers that safety of residents of Chaffee County and that of residents of the canyon, which is mostly in Fremont County, would be their primary concern.

Tiegs attended a commissioners meeting last month describing ROAR's opposition.

BLM expects an appeal on Over the River decision [excerpt]

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

BLM expects an appeal on Over the River decision

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Whichever way the Bureau of Land Management rules on the Over the River project, the issue will likely end up in appeals court, BLM Field Manager Roy Masinton told Chaffee County Commissioners Monday.

Masinton, delivering a report on BLM issues affecting Chaffee County during a work session in Salida, said both the artists and the opposition group are prepared to appeal if the BLM decision doesn't go their way.

"I anticipate, no matter what decision is made, we'll go to court on it," Masinton said.

Artists Christo and Jeane Claude are attempting to gain approval to stretch fabric over the Arkansas River in sections from Salida to Cañon City in a public art display. A group centered in Howard called Rags Over the Arkansas River is leading the opposition.

Although the project would only affect about 500 feet of property in Chaffee County, representatives from the county participate as a cooperating agency when the BLM holds meetings on the issue.

At the artists' request, the BLM changed course earlier this year and went from an environmental assessment of the project to a more comprehensive environmental impact statement. However, the environmental impact statement has not yet been initiated.

Masinton said the BLM is awaiting more detailed plans about the set-up, display and deconstruction of the project before proceeding. He also needs to hire a third-party contractor to conduct the EIS, which the artists will pay for.

"I've made no commitment to the artist or anybody as to whether we are going to allow this or not," Masinton said.

Over the River finds task force opposition

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Over the River finds task force opposition

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

An informal declaration of opposition to the “Over the River” project surfaced Tuesday from the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Citizens Task Force.

Members of the opposition group, Rags Over the River, solicited the statement during the regular task force meeting in Salida in an attempt to influence federal land managers studying the project.

The Bureau of Land Management is in early stages of an environmental impact statement for the plan by Christo and Jeanne-Claude to stretch fabric across the river as a public art display.

ROAR wanted to get the task force on record before the initial public comment deadline Wednesday. Roy Masinton, bureau field manager in Cañon City, said public comment will be accepted throughout the process, especially after the environmental impact statement is released next year.

During the meeting, Rags Over the River secretary Cathey Young quoted citizens who submitted negative comments to the bureau. Rags president Dan Ainsworth and board member Ken Teigs also spoke.

They raised concerns about emergency vehicle access, traffic snarls and effects on wildlife during construction, viewing and cleanup of the project.

“(Residents in Bighorn Sheep Canyon) have the right to conduct their lives without disturbance,” Teigs said. “And they also have the right to police and ambulance protection.”

Masinton recommended the task force refrain from commenting on the proposal until the impact study is complete.

“Many of the impacts ... described here are real and we will assess those in the environmental impact statement,” he said. “The (task force) has a right to get involved in this, but I would wait until we have a document that discusses the impacts.”

Task force members said they are already well versed in the pros and cons of the project. After chairman Marshall Nichols initially indicated the group would hold off making a statement, he took an informal poll and one of the 14 members said they favor of the project.

“We have informally taken a stance against it, but will not make a formal statement until we see the EIS,” Nichols said.

Artists change tack, request environmental impact statement

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Artists change tack, request environmental impact statement

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Sensing negative results from the Bureau of Land Management environmental assessment of their proposed “Over the River” project, Christo and Jeanne- Claude requested a more extensive environmental impact statement.

The BLM received more than 1,100 written comments about the artists’ plan to stretch fabric across the Arkansas River in Bighorn Sheep Canyon.

The comments came in February as part of the early stages of the environmental assessment of the project by the bureau.

About 60 percent of the comments were negative, Pete Zwaneveld, environmental coordinator for the bureau, said. Some raised worries about wildlife impact and traffic congestion raising doubts about the ability of the bureau to issue a “finding of no significant impact” for the project.

BLM officials told Christo this spring the direction public comment was headed and the artist responded by requesting an environmental impact statement.

If the environmental assessment had come back negative, Christo would have had to request an environmental impact statement to continue with the application process.

The environmental assessment would not have been complete until early winter, Zwaneveld said. In filing the request for the environmental impact statement, Christo decided not to wait until then for a possibly negative decision.

“We weren’t certain we could work out all of the (issues) and we wanted to be up front with Christo and let him know so he wasn’t surprised at the end of the year,” Zwaneveld said.

The BLM is expected to make a decision about whether to grant the environmental impact statement review this month.

An environmental impact statement is a 14-16 month process involving public comment and two drafts.

Zwaneveld said the BLM would likely carry over comments received as part of the environmental assessment to use in the impact statement review.

“It takes more time,” he said. “It’s a more involved document.”

He said most opposing comments came from residents of Chaffee and Fremont counties while most comments favoring the project were from Denver residents and those of other major cities.

Zwaneveld, who retires today, will be replaced in his Christo duties by Joe Vieira.

BLM will delay release of Christo environmental report

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

BLM will delay release of Christo environmental report

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude talk with Salida resident Bill Murphy during a public forum in January. Because of a large number of public comments the Bureau of Land Management will delay its release of an environmental assessment on the 'Over the River' project. Photo by Mike Rosso.

The Bureau of Land Management received about 1,100 letters and e-mails during its “Over the River” public comment period, which ended last week.

The volume of letters caused bureau staff members to delay until fall its estimated release of the environmental assessment of the project.

The assessment, which will guide the bureau decision whether to allow the art project by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, was originally expected in June.

Bureau of Land Management Environmental Coordinator Pete Zwaneveld has read about 200 of the letters and said so far about 60 percent are opposed and 40 percent are in favor.

The project entails stretching sheets of fabric in sections across the Arkansas River from the Chaffee/Fremont county line east to Parkdale.

The bureau set a Feb. 10 deadline for public comment, but won’t disregard comments sent until the environmental assessment is completed. Zwaneveld said he received about 30-40 letters and e-mails daily until Feb. 10, but now only a couple each day.

Issues expressed by those who oppose the project centered on congestion and emergency response, impact on bighorn sheep and impact to birds that feed on the river.

Those in favor talked about economic benefits to the region, including rafting outfitters who see an opportunity in marketing rafting trips under the fabric.

Some of the letters, officials said, were simple “yay” or “nay” notes while others were longer dissertations.

“There is one classic letter in there,” Zwaneveld said. “I was just in tears reading it. It was hilarious.”

There are other factors slowing the environmental assessment process.

The Colorado Department of Transportation had a lot of questions about the traffic analysis produced by a Denver-based consultant hired by the artists. The analysis must be refined and a traffic plan created from it.

“That’s going to take longer than we all anticipated,” Zwaneveld said.

Bureau officials have asked Christo for a construction plan detailing when, where and how the foundation for the fabric will be installed along the river. That also will take longer than originally expected, Zwaneveld said.

“Thinking optimistically, it’s going to be fall now before we can get the environmental assessment completed,” he said.

Many issues expressed in written comments are the same as those expressed during three open houses hosted by the bureau in Cañon City, Cotopaxi and Salida last month. Some letters, however, opened officials’ eyes to issues they hadn’t previously considered.

One came from a postal carrier who delivers mail to canyon communities and was worried about on-time delivery.

Another discussed the possibility of birds of prey such as bald eagles – which are endangered and sometimes feed along the Arkansas River – flying into cables strung across the river before the fabric goes up.

Opponents mentioned rubber-necking drivers as a potential hazard on the winding canyon road.

“There’s plenty of places where if you’re not paying attention you can drive off the road really easily,” Zwaneveld said.

The bureau plans to summarize the 1,100 written comments on its Web site, www.blm.gov, during coming weeks.

Another public comment period will begin when environmental assessment is complete. Then people can appeal the decision which Zwaneveld said is a possibility because of the contentious nature of the “Over the River” proposal.

“You’re either for it or against it,” he said. “Nobody is in the middle. No matter what our decision is, somebody’s not going to be happy.”

An appeal would be heard in federal court and could take as long as a year to resolve.

“That’s something Christo is aware of,” Zwaneveld said. “If it gets appealed (he) is just going to have to bide his time until a decision is issued by the judge.”

In addition to Bureau of Land Management approval, permits will be required from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol, Fremont and Chaffee counties and Colorado State Parks.

The project is tentatively scheduled viewing during a two-week period in summer 2009.

Christo forums all wrapped up

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Christo forums all wrapped up

by Jason Starr
Mail Staff Writer

Salida freelance videographer Charles Newcomb interviews artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude Thursday night during the informational open house in Salida. Photo by Mike Rosso

The first part of a multi-layered permit process for the Christo and Jeanne-Claude “Over The River” project ended Thursday night in Salida with an open house.

Approximately 170 people gathered at the Salida Senior Citizen Center to study maps, talk to land and river managers and comment face-to-face to the artists.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude propose stretching sheets of fabric in sections across the Arkansas River between the Chaffee/Fremont County line and Parkdale.

The event Thursday was the last of a three-night series of open houses. Tuesday, nearly 300 people gathered at Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City and Wednesday, an estimated 250 people squeezed into the Cotopaxi High School cafeteria.

The open houses began the Bureau of Land Management environmental assessment of the project. Public comment will be accepted until Feb. 10 and the assessment should be complete by June.

The assessment will be ready for public review this summer and a final decision is expected by fall.

“We’re looking for comments that maybe identify some issues or concerns we haven’t considered yet,” Ken Smith, bureau public affairs officer, said.

If the bureau issues a “finding of no significant impact,” permits from the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado State Patrol, Fremont and Chaffee counties and Colorado State Parks will next need to be obtained.

The project is tentatively scheduled for a two-week period during the summer of 2009.

“Over the River” has polarized residents of the Upper Arkansas Valley.

A proponent group of about 60 people calling themselves Friends of “Over the River” has formed.

An opponent group of about 700 – mostly residents of Howard, Coaldale, Cotopaxi and Texas Creek, communities where the project is planned – adopted the name Rags Over the Arkansas River and has become vocal.

Representatives from each group attended the open house Thursday.

Rags group representative Cathey Young, distributed pamphlets questioning the project at the senior center door Thursday night. She said the group’s main concern is safety of those travelling and living in the canyon.

Estimates are that 250,000 people will venture through the canyon to view the art during its two-week run. A traffic engineer hired by the artists said traffic could more than double in the canyon with as many as 12,000 cars on weekend days.

“All it takes is one accident and all of a sudden you have a parking lot,” Young said.

Christo’s Denver-based traffic consultant Joe Hart agreed traffic will be slower and predicted an increase in small, fender-bender type accidents and a decrease in more serious crashes.

“The plan is to quickly respond to get things moving again” if there is an accident, Hart said. “It will be relatively congested … but it is do-able.”

Bruce Sheetz of the Colorado State Patrol said troopers would have to manage the shoulders of the road, ensuring people don’t clog the canyon by stopping to look at or photograph the display.

“If people have it in their mind to stop, if you’re not physically there to stop them, they are probably going to stop,” Sheetz said. “So that’s a problem we’ll have to look at.”

Steve Reese, former Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area river manager who helped form the Friends of “Over the River” group, said he trusts the permit process will result in a plan to deal with all contingencies.

In addition, welcoming the one-of-a-kind Christo and Jeanne Claude vision and personalities to the valley is too good an opportunity to pass up, he said.

Christo and Jeanne Claude have become world famous for their projects, including “The Gates” in New York City Central Park, surrounding several islands off the Florida coast in pink fabric and wrapping of the Reichstag building in Germany in polypropylene.

“They have a tremendous integrity and commitment,” Reese said. “They have a track record and you can see people are pleased (with their projects). To have this opportunity here in our valley is incredible.

“It’s just not going to have a lasting impact that is going to be anything but positive. I really think the safety issues can be and will be addressed before the permits are issued.”

During a meeting Thursday afternoon with Chaffee County and Salida officials, Christo and Jeanne Claude and their project managers Vince and Jonita Davenport, said “Over the River” would generate as many as 700 temporary jobs.

“We’re hoping to fill most of those slots with local workers,” Jonita Davenport said.

The artists seem willing to spare no cost in addressing all the concerns and hurdles of the permit process. They pay public employees for time they spend working on permits and have proposed stationing three private emergency helicopters in the canyon during the project.

The idea for “Over the River” is 14 years old. Other projects have taken as long as 26 years to receive permits, Christo said.

“The process is part of the work of art,” Jeanne Claude said, “and an important part.”

Christo sparks debate in Cotopaxi

source: Copyright © 2006 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Christo sparks debate in Cotopaxi

by Christopher Kolomitz
Mail Managing Editor

Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude speak with Cotopaxi resident Dan Ainsworth Wednesday night. The artists will be in Salida from 6-8 p.m. today at the Salida Senior Citizens Center. Photo by Christopher Kolomitz

COTOPAXI – Full parking lot, crowded room and intense debate reflected the many opinions about the “Over the River” project Wednesday night.

An estimated 250 people filled the Cotopaxi High School cafeteria to view maps and submit comments regarding the project.

The forum was hosted by Bureau of Land Management officials as part of the environmental assessment of the project.

Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude attended the forum and listened to resident concerns and questions. An armed Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputy stood beside the artists most of the night as residents waited in line to share their thoughts.

Participants were asked to provide written comments about the project. Comments are due to the BLM by Feb. 10.

A third and final forum will be held today in Salida from 6-8 p.m. at the Salida Senior Citizens Center. About 300 people attended a similar forum Tuesday in Cañon City.

Slated for summer 2009, the project consists of eight fabric panel sections hanging above the Arkansas River.

“It’s the most unique proposal we have ever had,” Ken Smith, BLM spokesman said Wednesday.

People viewed maps detailing the location of suspended fabric panels. Engineering data and photographs of the fabric, suspension cables and equipment were available.

Data detailing traffic patterns, counts and accidents was presented. Maps were available showing locations of wildlife habitat.

Most participants were against the project, citing emergency access problems, increased traffic and impact to wildlife.

The majority of the forum attendees were from the Western Fremont County area, including LeAnn Larson of Howard.

“I have friends who are too mad to come,” Larson said.

Several Salida residents attended the meeting to support the project.

Perhaps the longest commute for a project proponent was that of Evergreen resident Gary Justus, who drove 147 miles to attend the forum.

“To deny the opportunity of many more people than who are in this room tonight to see something like this project is awfully selfish,” Justus said.

Perceptions of art

source: Copyright © 2005 Arkansas Valley Publishing

Perceptions of art

by Merle Baranczyk
Editor/Publisher - The Mountain Mail

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will hold public hearings about the Over The River Project Jan. 18 in Cotopaxi and Jan. 19 in Salida.

As proposed, the Christo and Jean-Claude work would drape sections of the Arkansas River, starting at the Chaffee-Fremont county line about 5 miles east of Salida and extending 40 miles east to Parkdale.

In total, about 7 miles of the 40 miles would be draped, with the longest segment from Parkdale west about 2.5 miles to Spikebuck.

Two of the main criticisms of the proposed project revolve around potential harm to the environment and traffic concerns. Neither of these questions, though, should prevent the project from taking place.

The stretch involved along U.S. 50 and the Arkansas River between Salida and Parkdale – Bighorn Sheep Canyon – hardly resembles anything even remotely close to a pristine wilderness area.

For starters, the highway borders the south side of the river for miles. Rock and dirt obviously had to be moved to create the roadway. Thousands of cars travel the route every day. On the river’s north side, the railroad runs the length of the canyon, although trains are not at this time traveling through the valley. The Arkansas is sandwiched between these two major works of man.

Steel posts that will be used to anchor the cables from which fabric will be hung would in most cases be pounded into the dirt and rock supporting the highway and the railroad. This would not be a major disruption to animal life inhabiting the canyon at this time of year, namely snakes, lizards, ground squirrels and the like.

In late summer, when the project would actually be hanging, bighorn sheep are typically at higher elevations. While some herds would no doubt be on the river during this time, they have learned to cope with the highway, traffic and the railroad. It would be reasonable to presume they would not be harmed or driven out by steel posts or cables.

The river itself would see little if any impact from the hangings that it does not currently experience or see. Water would flow as it does now with little effect from the posts, cables or fabric.

Once the project would be complete, the cables and posts would be removed. It’s difficult to imagine how the areas where the posts would be placed would be permanently disfigured. For the most part, the posts would be driven into dirt and rock rubble and once removed would show few if any traces of the project.

Traffic through the canyon would obviously increase when the project was erected. However, Over the River would be on display for only two weeks before fabric would be removed. Given this short period of time it would seem a suitable traffic plan could be worked out.

To mitigate safety questions, it would not be all that surprising if sponsors would hire a helicopter service

Certainly, the project would require increased traffic patrols for the two-week period. In addition, staging areas could be established at parking areas at Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area sites and at unimproved pullouts along the river or from nearby areas.

On earlier projects, the artists have shown an uninterrupted history of resolving issues, from local to national governments, whether they be New York City or communist East Germany. To Christo and Jean-Claude, the process of obtaining permission for their projects is as much an art as are the engineering and the creations themselves.

Take away environmental impacts and put a traffic and safety plan in place and what Over the River comes down to is how a person views art.

That is, it all depends on personal perception.

— MJB