Tribe pushes gorge casino talks
Warm Springs leaders, stepping up a drive for an off-reservation site, call on the governor to start negotiations
March 30, 2004
JANIE HAR and WENDY OWEN
Warm Springs tribal leaders asked Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Monday for "immediate negotiations" on building a Columbia River casino, which if approved, could alter state casino policy and set off a maelstrom among the Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes.
Garland Brunoe, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, does not specify in the letter where the new casino would be built. In short, he explains the confederation has the right to build on casino-eligible trust land just east of Hood River, which residents oppose.
The other option, he writes, is to build on nonreservation land in nearby Cascade Locks, which would require the governor's approval and break a longstanding policy that limits Oregon's nine tribes to one casino each on reservation land.
State Sen. Rick Metsger, D-Welches, who supports a Cascade Locks casino, said negotiations will clarify the governor's position on the Hood River site. "Now the question is: What is in the best interest of the state, the tribe and the community in where the casino might be located?" he said.
Tribal leaders desperate to improve the reservation's high unemployment rate have been hankering for a replacement casino since before Gov. John Kitzhaber left office in January 2003, but the letter would mark the start of formal talks with the state. And generally, Cascade Locks residents also support a venture that would bring jobs and tourism to the economically depressed area.
But an off-reservation casino only 40 minutes from Portland is opposed by other tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, which operates the lucrative Spirit Mountain Casino an hour southwest of the Portland area.
And Columbia River Gorge conservationists don't want a high-traffic casino anywhere in the environmentally sensitive area.
Mary Ellen Glynn, spokeswoman for the governor, said the Warm Springs owns land in Hood River "where they do have a right to build a casino, and we'll be looking at that." She said federal law requires the governor to discuss the issue with the tribe.
Kulongoski supports the idea that each tribe should be limited to one casino on reservation land. But he's kept quiet on the possibility of a casino along the gorge, irritating public and tribal leaders on both sides of the issue who say he's promised them differently in private talks.
Asked earlier this month whether he had a preference on a location, Kulongoski said "no."
"It's a negotiation and I'm going to let them work through it," the governor said. "I said before and I told the tribe I do not think the Hood River site is appropriate. They're looking at the Cascade Locks site. There are a series of issues in this that have to be resolved on the location issue."
MardiLyn Saathoff, Kulongoski's liaison to the tribes, said they wouldn't negotiate a new site until they had hashed out regulatory portions of the current gambling contract. They finished those talks last week, prompting Brunoe's letter.
Present site called insufficient
Brunoe, who along with the rest of the tribal council is up for re-election Wednesday, also noted in the letter that unemployment on the reservation is at 60 percent. The Warm Springs' existing Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino, in Central Oregon off U.S. 26, was always considered a "temporary facility" and its revenue is insufficient to support the tribe, he writes.
Representatives for the Warm Springs and Grand Ronde tribes could not be reached for additional comment Monday.
The Warm Springs confederation has paid the Port of Cascade Locks $5,000 a month for about six months to hold the industrial park site for the tribe. Port Director Chuck Daughtry called it a "good faith" payment to keep the property off the real estate market.
Hood River County Commissioner Carol York was thrilled to hear that the project is moving forward.
"To me, it's great news. It means we will get an answer one way or another. There has been talk for a long time and to elevate it to this level, I think we will soon know where the tribes will be able to build," she said.
York and most Hood River residents are against the site east of town. The location is near the Mark Hatfield trailhead and in the national scenic area. She promoted the Cascade Locks site and next month plans to take that message to Kulongoski.
Cascade Locks City Manager Bob Willoughby said city officials will continue to push for the casino. "We want the facility here. It's something the community wants and supports," he said. "We will do whatever we're asked to do to promote the casino in Cascade Locks."
But Michael Lang, conservation director for Friends of the Columbia Gorge, maintained Monday that the confederation does not have a legal right to build on any land in Hood River. He also said he's not aware Brunoe's letter signals a change of any kind.
"It does signal that formal discussions may be occurring in the near future between the tribe, the governor and other members of the public," Lang said. "And we expect to be part of those discussions."
Harry Esteve of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report. Janie Har: 503-221-8213; janiehar@news.oregonian.com Wendy Owen: 541-296-0606; wowennews@aol.com