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Good News for Columbia Gorge
That Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski would
jeopardize the unique scenic area bordering our two states is
disappointing. He did so by granting the Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs permission to proceed with planning a huge casino and resort at
Cascade Locks, far from its Central Oregon reservation.
Without the governor's OK, there would be no threat of a casino in the scenic area no worries about such a large increase in traffic, pollution and harm to endangered species. Gov. John Kitzhaber, who served before Kulongoski, rightly refused to let such a monstrosity of human development in the gorge. In Our View - Good News for Gorge Thursday, August 24, 2006 Columbian editorial writers BIA sends strong message to tribe: Consider other sites, too, for casino When you drive through the Columbia River Gorge, signs let people know they are entering a national scenic area. To most people, that would suggest that less is more when it comes to man-made objects dotting the landscape. Considerable effort has been made to keep this area as pristine as possible. So much so that the government dictates where and how property owners can build even private single-family homes in much of the scenic area. That Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski would jeopardize the unique scenic area bordering our two states is disappointing. He did so by granting the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs permission to proceed with planning a huge casino and resort at Cascade Locks, far from its Central Oregon reservation. The off-reservation casino, close to Portland-Vancouver and adjacent to an interstate highway, would presumably make more money for the tribe than a casino on its reservation. It would also help line the pockets of small-business owners in the town of Cascade Locks. Without the governor's OK, there would be no threat of a casino in the scenic area no worries about such a large increase in traffic, pollution and harm to endangered species. Gov. John Kitzhaber, who served before Kulongoski, rightly refused to let such a monstrosity of human development in the gorge. Thankfully, the federal government doesn't appear to be as fond of off-reservation casinos as Kulongoski is. It's an awful precedent to allow tribes to build on off-reservation sites, especially when tribes have proved their ability to profit with casinos on their reservations. The Bureau of Indian Affairs said in a recent report that the tribe could improve its economic health with a casino on its Central Oregon reservation and therefore needs to spend money to study the option before getting a green light on a casino in the gorge. Whether this will be a small, but expensive, setback in the Warm Springs' plan to site a casino in the gorge or a move that will shut down the Cascade Locks plan for good remains to be seen. Tribe lobbyist and spokesman Len Bergstein told reporters that the Interior Department's latest request was simply another bureaucratic hurdle the tribe would overcome. He expects a new analysis of an on-reservation casino to cost $100,000 or more and take about six weeks. Bergstein also alleges that critics of the tribe's quest for a Cascade Locks casino are engaged in a strategy to bleed the Warm Springs of time and money. It's far more accurate to say that critics of an off-reservation casino in the scenic area are trying to stop a project that will be detrimental to the gorge, not slow down a tribe or drain its resources. And critics of a gorge casino have good company. How does this affect the Cowlitz tribal casino proposed for north Clark County? It does not, directly at least. That application is for an initial-reservation casino, not for an existing reservation. But clearly, the Warm Springs tribe has been told: Look elsewhere. And that's excellent advice to the Cowlitz, who have more legitimate ties to lands to the north, in Cowlitz and Lewis counties. Friends of the Gorge has released a survey showing Oregonians oppose a gorge casino by a 2-to-1 margin. If only their governor would have agreed and acted in the best interest of the national scenic area. http://www.columbian.com/opinion/news/08242006news53420.cfm |
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