Christo and Jeanne-Claude hatched the idea for their "Over the River" project back in 1992. Since Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009, Christo has pursued their plan to drape almost six miles of silvery fabric over portions of a 42-mile corridor of the Arkansas River in southern Colorado. The work — which, like all the duo's undertakings, is privately funded through the sale of the preparatory drawings for their installations — has the potential to bring art lovers and tourist dollars to the state and has been embraced by many government officials and Coloradans. However, those opposed to the project have been extremely vocal, creating a group called ROAR (Rags Over the Arkansas River) and comparing the piece to "a beautiful daughter sold into prostitution" and "hanging pornography in a church."

ROAR now has a powerful ally in the Colorado Wildlife Commission, which has just unanimously expressed its disapproval of the project, the New York Times reports. The commission's role is merely an advisory one, but the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which will rule on "Over the River" in August or September, may feel obliged to follow its wishes. If Christo's plan is approved, work will begin in spring 2012, with the installation going up for a two-week period in August 2014.
But in the meantime, ARTINFO takes a look at what has ROAR so riled up:

FISHING

Although the project is estimated to have a positive economic impact, generating $121 million according to the Wall Street Journal, some are worried that "the Arkansas River fishery and regional fishing economy will suffer from the three-year buildup and removal of the project," the Denver Post reports. The paper quotes wildlife commission vice-chair Robert Streeter as saying that "there are no redeeming values of this project from a fish and wildlife perspective."

TRAFFIC

According to the Denver Post, "the sweeping construction zone would include increased traffic and road closures on an already-crowded riverside highway." Blogging for the Denver Westword, Alan Prendergast writes "what a pain in the ass it is to be living in the target area of a world-famous artist's audacious, high-falutin vision." A two-lane highway, US 50, runs along the river, and according to ROAR's Web site, "the traffic issues alone threaten the safety and economy of this part of the state." Meanwhile, on his Web site, Christo estimates that about 250,000 people will visit the installation over its two-week life and lists a variety of mitigation efforts to assuage traffic and safety concerns.

BIGHORN SHEEP

In its report, the wildlife commission cited its concern for bighorn sheep, with vice-chair Streeter telling the New York Times that the fabric installation "could push the bighorn away from the water and impact their survival through the winter." But permits are issued to hunt bighorn sheep every year, with hunters killing about three percent of the sheep population annually, according to the Times. Meanwhile, Christo told the Pueblo Chieftain that he was "surprised by the wildlife commission's action," but that "the final environmental impact statement is expected to be released in the coming weeks and this document should address their concerns regarding bighorn sheep and other wildlife." Merle Baranczyk, editor of the Mountain Mail in Salida, Colorado, criticized the wildlife commission for only hearing from opponents of the project before voting on it. The notion that the sheep "will be distressed by construction activity stretches credulity," Baranczyk writes. "For animals who deal with thousands of vehicles 365 days a year, finding ways to water around construction work for a few days in any one stomping area hardly appears a challenge."