Over The River moving forward

I received the letter below in my inbox this afternoon concerning Christo and Jeanne-Claude's next work Over The River. And, while I'm very excited to see progress is being made on the project, I worry (though not much) about the possibility the project will not pass. The public is asked to submit comments and concerns about Over The River here, and I encourage you to send a short, positive comment their way. It's my dream to work on one of the Christo's projects and this could very easily be my only chance.


We are emailing to share several recent developments on Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Over The River. 

First, we wanted to let you know that we added some new information to our website about the permitting process for this temporary work of art. As you may know, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Over The River. During this detailed permitting process, an independent contractor (selected by BLM) is analyzing all of the project’s potential impacts, benefits and areas of concern. 

The BLM will also develop various alternatives to the artists’ original vision for Over The River. These different alternatives could call for changing a variety of factors, such as the number of miles of fabric, the locations of the fabric panels, the time of year when the art is exhibited or the duration of the exhibition period. These alternatives are all compared against a “No Action” alternative -- the baseline alternative that describes what would happen if the project is not completed. 

Clearly, the EIS process is tremendously important for Over The River. That is why we will be keeping this new portion of the website updated so that you can stay current with the latest developments. Additionally, the BLM’s official Over The River EIS website can be viewed by clicking here. 

The Over The River EIS began in February 2009 and is expected to be completed by spring of 2011. The process includes the following upcoming milestones:

1. Draft EIS: Scheduled for June 2010
 
The Draft EIS document will be made available to the public for 45 days of review and comment this coming summer. The BLM and its consultants will also be holding four public meetings to discuss the document in Salida, Canon City, Denver and Cotopaxi (exact dates TBD). During this phase, BLM will accept written and oral comments on the project from the public. Public participation during this phase will be critically important.

2. Final EIS: Scheduled for Spring 2011
 
After evaluating and developing responses to Draft EIS comments and fine-tuning the document as appropriate, the BLM will publish a Final EIS and announce the “Preferred Alternative” for Over The River.

3. Record of Decision: Scheduled for Spring 2011 This is the alternative that the BLM will recommend for implementation.
 
After considering all analysis and input, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision -- the agency’s final action prior to project implementation. This step will have a significant influence on the final outcome of Over The River.

We’ll be sure to let you know when there are opportunities to submit comments and attend public meetings. Additionally, the Friends of Over The River group (“FOR”) is planning a number of activities that may be of interest to you, which are described on our website. 

In the meantime, we will continue to keep you updated and let you know as soon as it is time to submit letters or comments to the BLM. We hope that you will get involved during this critical time for Over The River.

Sincerely,

The OTR Project Team 
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Over The River is a two-week temporary work of art by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. For more information, visit our website at www.overtheriverinfo.com.