[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 115 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CHRISTO'S ``RUNNING FENCE''

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2001

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor those who worked on 
Christo's ``Running Fence'' on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. A 
project of the internationally renowned artist Christo and his wife 
Jeanne-Claude, the ``Running Fence'' was completed in Sonoma and Marin 
Counties on September 10, 1976, after 42 months of collaborative 
efforts.
  These efforts included participation of the affected ranchers, 18 
public hearings, three sessions at the Superior Courts of California, 
the drafting of a 450 page Environmental Impact Report, and the 
temporary use of the hills, sky, and ocean. The ``Running Fence'' was 
18 feet high and its 24.5 miles in length crossed 14 roads, 59 ranches, 
and the town of Valley Ford. It extended from near Freeway 101 in 
Sonoma County to the Pacific Ocean at Bodega Bay. As promised, the 
project was removed 14 days after its completion and all the materials 
given to the ranchers.
  The beauty of the ``Running Fence'', constructed of 240,000 square 
yards of white nylon, and the beauty of the California countryside 
complemented each other perfectly to create a breathtaking artistic 
vision.
  Mr. Speaker, although the ``Running Fence'' was designed to be 
temporary, Christo's project will live forever in the imaginations of 
those who saw it and in its identification with the landscape of Sonoma 
and Marin Counties.

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