DENVER – U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (CO-1) issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Land Management’s Record of Decision granting approval of the Over The River temporary art installation.  The project, a design of the artist Christo and the late Jeanne-Claude, well-known for The Gates of Central Park, will include suspending eight fabric panel segments totaling 5.9 miles within a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas River in Colorado. 

“Today is an exciting day for the people of Colorado as the Over The River project passes a significant milestone towards bringing cultural and economic benefit to our state. As environmental and safety concerns were evaluated, I was proud to work together with stakeholders from the state and the federal government to ensure that the six miles of fabric panels along the Arkansas River would be sensitive to wildlife and the environment. Mr. Christo’s commitment to conservation is clearly reflected in BLM’s Record of Decision granting final approval of this extraordinary project. Today we are one step closer to seeing this one-of-a-kind project come to life for 14 days, generating more than $111 million in total economic input throughout Colorado.” 

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