42 miles of the Arkansas River canyon will be affected by the Over The River Project
Christo's Over the River Project Given Final Approval
The BLM Royal Gorge Field Office has approved Christo’s Over The Riverart installation. The installation includes suspending eight fabric panel segments totaling 5.9 miles within a 42-mile stretch of the Arkansas River. After two years of construction, the festival will be open for two weeks in August 2014. Conservationists feel that the canyon is not an appropriate location for an art work of this magnitude, and that it will adversely affect wildlife, recreation and scenic beauty. “After careful consideration of the potential impact to the Arkansas River and the wildlife and plants that inhabit this beautiful area, we believe that steps have been taken to mitigate the environmental effects of this one-of-a-kind project,” said Secretary Salazar [who made the announcement for the BLM]. “Drawing visitors to Colorado to see this work will support jobs in the tourism industry and bring attention to the tremendous outdoor recreation opportunities in this area. With all due respect to Secretary Salazar, many conservationists do not agree.Wild Connections and others believe that wildlife protections are inadequate, especially for the bighorn sheep of the canyon.In addition, the adverse effects of years of construction, thousands of visitors who will clog highway 50 during August 2014, disturbance to local communities, and costs of travel closures, emergency services and law enforcement, to name a few, may outstrip the tourist dollars and local jobs.
Conservation groups will monitor this project as it progresses.Rocky Mountain Wild submitted our joint comments on this project.
Great victory for National Forest roadless areas! Federal Court Reinstates the 2001 Roadless Rule
October 21, 2011 Denver, CO – "The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a long-awaited, landmark decision today, securing critical legal protections for nearly 50 million acres of pristine National Forest lands. These forests offer outstanding opportunities for hunting, fishing, and hiking, produce clean water for thousands of communities nationwide, and provide irreplaceable habitat for imperiled wildlife species including grizzly bears, lynx, and Pacific salmon. The appellate court reversed a lower court decision and affirmed the validity of the Roadless Rule – a 2001 federal rule that protects wild national forests and grasslands from new road building, logging, and development."
Read more in the press release from Earthjustice, The Wilderness Society, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Wyoming Outdoor Council and the Sierra Club.
Interested in the details of law suits, injunctions and rullings? Deb Overn has outlined them for us. Click on the map below for a larger image.
Colorado conservation groups are generally agreed that this reinstatement of the 2001 Roadless Rule eliminates the need for a separate plan for Colorado that has been in the works here for several years. The "Colorado roadless rule" was promoted as “an insurance policy” when thenationalrule’s legal status was in doubt. Now the way is clear for the Obama administration to fulfill its promise to enforce thenational rule.
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