MARCH 1,2008
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MEETINGS continued
from front page
Walala people had many village
sites in the Gorge near present-day
Cascade Locks and the Walala were
included in the 1855 Willamette Val
ley Treaty, which also included the
Clackamas Chinook.
Policywise, the Grand Ronde Tribe
argues that allowing the Warm
Springs Tribe to go off-reservation to
build a casino closer to the Portland
area is unfair to other Oregon Tribes
that have invested significantly in
casinos built on Tribal lands. The
Cascade Locks site is about 35
miles away from the northwestern
boundary of the Warm Springs Res
ervation, but more than 100 driving
miles away from population center
in Warm Springs.
"Allowing the first off-reservation
casino in the Columbia River
Gorge is a radical change from the
historic state policy that treats all
Tribes equally, limiting each Tribe
to one casino on reservation lands,"
said Tribal lobbyist and member
Justin Martin during the Feb. 10
General Council meeting regarding
the Tribe's opposition to off-reservation
gaming.
"With on-reservation alternatives
available, it just doesn't make any
sense."
The Grand Ronde Tribe has of
fered to help the Warm Springs
Tribe build a new casino on reser
vation land, making it more con
venient to the burgeoning central
Oregon population centers of Bend,
Redmond and Madras. The Warm
Springs declined the offer, opting
to spend millions of dollars on the
10-year-old Gorge casino effort.
Tribal projections estimate that
if the Warm Springs build a casino
along Interstate 84 in the Gorge,
it would single-handedly decrease
Spirit Mountain Casino's dividend to
the Tribe by 34.6 percent because it
would be closer and more convenient
to Portland-area residents than driv
ing to Spirit Mountain Casino.
Grand Ronde Tribal estimates pre
dict that the Cascade Locks casino
proposal, if it is eventually approved
by the Secretary of Interior, will not
open for business until late 2013.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde is not the only entity opposed
to the Warm Springs Gorge casino
proposal and a potential change in
state policy regarding off-reservation
gaming.
The Friends of the Columbia
Gorge, Oregon Restaurant Associa
tion and Oregon Family Council are
among 15 groups that have come
out in opposition to the proposal.
Following the five hearings on
the draft environmental impact
statement, it will return to the
Department of Interior, which will
write a final environmental impact
statement and then send it to the
desk of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne
for a record of decision.
Kempthorne opposed off-reservation
casinos when he was governor
of Idaho and has shown no signs
that he will OK the Warm Springs
proposal or others the Interior De
partment lists as pending.
In early January, the Depart
ment of Interior issued new guide
lines for off-reservation casinos
that give more consideration to
the environmental compatibility
of a project, as well as "reasonable,
regular" commuting distances be
tween reservation residents and a
new casino's location.
Most Warm Springs Reservation
residents live more than 100 miles
away near the Kah-Nee-Ta Desert
Resort and Casino in Warm Springs
near Madras, a distance many critics
think is not a "reasonable, regular"
commute for Tribal members be
cause even the quickest route would
require Tribal employees spend at
least two hours traveling one-way.
The Warm Springs also have
announced they plan on building
residences near the Gorge casino
for Tribal employees. Critics say
that it will be detrimental to res
ervation life to have adult parents
away from home five days a week.
The intent of the 1988 Indian
Gaming Regulatory Act was to fos
ter strong reservation economies.
Long commutes that lure Tribal
residents away from residing on
their reservation do not accomplish
the act's goal, Interior said when
issuing the new guidelines.
Other critics have expressed
concern about a proposed new In
terstate 84 interchange that would
lead travelers directly into the re
sort and casino property and have
potentially detrimental effects on
other local businesses.
The wild card in the entire process
is the current presidential election.
If a decision is not made before Jan.
20, 2009, it is possible that Kemp
thorne, a Bush appointee, will be
out as Interior Secretary and both
the Grand Ronde and Warm Springs
Tribes will have to await a new ap
pointee with unknown attitudes
about off-reservation gaming.
People who cannot attend any of
the five meetings can submit com
ments by using the project Web
site, www.gorgecasinoeis.comco
commentform.html or mail or
hand-deliver comments to Stanley
Speaks, Northwest Regional Direc
tor of the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
911 N.E. 11th Ave., Portland, Ore.
97232, or fax 503-231-2275.
Comments must be received by
May 15 to be considered during the
preparation of the final environ
mental impact statement, which
is expected to be completed late in
the year. B
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