Christo's Real"Over The River"

Separating Fact from Fiction

The specific purpose of this website is to provide facts and analysis of the "Over the River" project plan as offered by Christo and his consultants. We have focused primarily on the 2.5 years of construction and the full time span of traffic impacts in Bighorn Sheep Canyon, the site of OTR. The documented plan has been under evaluation for an Environmental Impact Study decision by the Royal Gorge Office of BLM, the first-line permitting agency.

GREAT NEWS! After numerous requests from citizens, BLM has agreed to extend the DEIS public comment period to Sept. 14. An ardent opposition to Christo's proposed project has provided some helpful information and guidelines to aid you in preparing your comments. Email your comments, or visit the BLM website for other delivery options, including an online form.

Scroll down this page for other information and links.

Arkansas River View NO to ChristoChristo and Jeanne-Claude (his late wife and partner) have proposed suspending horizontal fabric panels in sections totalling 5.9 miles (9.4 kilometers) over a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas River's Bighorn Sheep Canyon between Canon City and Salida, Colorado. The proposed project is titled "Over the River," often called simply OTR.

According to their website, "Fabric panels suspended horizontally clear of and high above the water level will follow the configuration and width of the changing course of the river, during a period of two consecutive weeks to be selected between mid-July and mid-August of any given year in the future, in 2013 at the earliest. Steel wire cables, anchored on the upper part of the riverbanks, will cross the river and serve as attachment for the fabric panels. The woven fabric panels ...will create shimmering waves of fabric, 8 to 25 feet (2.4 to 7.6 meters) above the water." (http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/otr.shtml)

Sound interesting? Innovative? Temporary and harmless? If it was truly for only 2 weeks as they promise, it would be inconvenient, but tolerable. The truth, however, is that the construction required for installation of the supporting structure is a 2.5 year industrial assault on a scenic river canyon. Christo's plan specifically affirms this timeline. Separate the true impacts from the media myths on our Facts page.

Explore this site to learn more, then consider joining those who seek to save the natural beauty and resources of this valued river canyon, and the livelihood of us who live and work here.

OTR vs Reality

In-Depth Analysis

What You Can Do