Eco-Friendly Groups Debate New Christo Project

Environmental advocacy groups are known for regularly opposing chemical plants, sprawling housing developments on pristine mountaintops, mining expeditions in lush forests, and all types of ventures that may threaten wilderness areas and the wildlife that inhabit them. Now that fierce opposition is being directed at a different sort of encroachment. World-renowned artist Christo has been planning an impressive $50 million artistic display for more than 13 years, and the debate over his design is coming to a head.

According to Jenny Kedward, the chair of the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Sierra Club, people are conflicted and there is a lot of debate going on. Christo is planning to temporarily suspend 5.9 miles of translucent fabric high above the Arkansas River, from Salida to Canon City. Christo is known for his elaborate fabric displays, which are always temporary, and which always leave no evidence or impact behind. However, this new "Over the River" project, while transforming the river into a shimmering artistic display, could potentially draw as many as 340,000 spectators to a rural area that has become increasingly reliant on tourism. The influx of visitors would be good for the local economies, but the two years of designing and creating the masterpiece would result in construction zones and heavy traffic, not to mention 9,000 anchors in the riverside and disruption to the ecology and wildlife of the region.

Environmental groups are divided about the issue. Many people are torn between their appreciation for Christo's grand projects and their impulse to protect natural environment from disturbance. The Sierra Club's Sangre de Cristo group has voted to support his project, but the statewide Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club has not taken an official position on the subject. Kedward, who spoke on behalf of the Sangre de Cristo organization, said that they are not actually all that concerned by the environmental impact the project may have. They studied Christo's plan and saw that he intends to stop installation work during the migration seasons of local birds, an dhe has promised to work with the railroad companies in the area to relocate lines of dormant railcars that have long blocked views as well as animal traffic patterns outside Canon City.

Kedward said that the groups never usually have to debate issues, but with this particular debate her group was hearing that art was interfering with the natural world, where art already existed. But after studying Christo's plans, the group was impressed by the fact that he had taken many environmental concerns into consideration. But other groups are not so satisfied. A consortium of seven environmental groups in Colorado has officially condemned the plan as being an industrial-scale project that is inappropriate for use on public lands. Colorado Wild's Ricky Smith, an environmental activist who wrote the opposition claims and submitted them to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), claimed that the opposition is not intended to criticize art or Christo, but the group believes the project will considerably and possibly severely impact wildlife in the area, particularly bighorn sheep.

Some eco-friendly groups have wavered in their support or condemnation, torn between the idea of glorious, grandiose art by Christo and the issue of a potential environmental impact on federal lands. So far there has been no public statement by heavy-hitters such as the Audubon Society. Many advocacy groups are researching the impacts of longer-term issues such as renewable energy and development. So they feel Christo's plans don't necessarily post a threat that is serious enough to pull their focus away from more important issues. Chris Canaly, the executive director of the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, said that with so many issues on their plate right now, it comes down to a discussion about priorities. When all is said and done, this is going to be a temporary project with a limited impact, and the hope is that the impact is temporary as well.

The BLM is studying Christo's plan and expects to issue their decision sometime in February. The bureau toured the state this summer studying varying alternatives to the original proposal Christo filed, and they amassed more than 3500 public comments about the issue. If the project is approved, the soonest it could be completed would be the summer of 2013.