Page 10
Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
June 22, 2016
Around Indian Country
Casino suit funded by Grand Ronde
A lawsuit that seeks to
stop the Cowlitz Tribe from
opening a casino in Washing-
ton is largely being funded
by the Grande Ronde Tribe,
and private interests.
Clark County has paid
“almost nothing” while the
city of Vancouver has paid
about $187,000 since 2007,
according to reports.
That means funding for
the litigation has fallen pri-
marily on the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde,
non-Indian card rooms, and
a group called Citizens
Against Reservation Shop-
ping.
The Cowlitz Tribe broke
ground on the casino earlier
this year, and it’s due to open
next spring.
Elders Picnic
on July 14
The Warm Springs
Senior Program will
host the Elders Picnic
on Thursday, July 14.
There will be eels,
buffalo burgers, hot
dogs, fresh fruit in-
cluding watermelon,
water and juice, etc.
Lunch will start at
noon.
The tribal farm has
alfalfa, orchard grass
and feeder hay for sale
to tribal members.
Call 541-553-2001.
The casino will be located
near La Center, Washington,
about 25 miles north of Port-
land.
The Grand Ronde Tribes
operate the Spirit Mountain
Casino in Grande Ronde. It's
about 63 miles from Portland,
the most populous city in the
state.
Leaders of both tribes at-
tended a packed hearing in
Washington, D.C, in March as
part of the lawsuit. The D.C.
Circuit Court of Appeals will
determine whether the BIA
should have approved the
land-into-trust application for
the Cowlitz Casino Project in
light of the U.S. Supreme
Court decision in Carcieri v.
Salazar.
In the February 2009 rul-
ing, the justices held that the
BIA can only acquire land for
tribes that were “under fed-
eral jurisdiction” as of 1934.
The Cowlitz Tribe didn’t gain
recognition until 2000.
The Supreme Court, how-
ever, did not define the mean-
ing of the phrase “under fed-
eral jurisdiction” and the BIA
has since developed a two-
part test to determine when
it can take action. The agency
concluded that the Cowlitz
Tribe qualified, a decision that
was upheld by a federal judge
in December 2014.
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