The state is now reviewing the status of the land where the casino would be located.  The tribe has sought for six years to establish a casino in Lane County -- first in Springfield and later in Florence. Tribal Chairman Ron Brainard says the the proposed North Fork casino would likely cost $15 million to $20 million -- and provide 500 to 750 full-time jobs. Source:  12/27/01 - KGW.com

Otherwise, the tribes will follow through on repeated threats to build one of the largest casinos in Oregon smack in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, next to an historic highway and a newly completed state park.

No one wants that. Not the people of neighboring Hood River, not all those who care about the scenic gorge, not even the Warm Springs tribes, which would prefer to build their casino in a more
suitable location, Cascade Locks, where residents support the idea.

Yet the tribes are moving ahead on a casino near Hood River anyway. They've bought another 175 acres to pair with a 40-acre parcel that they've held in trust since the 1920s. They are seeking permission to use the new land for support facilities for a casino. "We're coming," said Rudy Clements, chairman of the tribal gaming board. "If they don't like it, that's tough."

Wait. The tribes' desperate pursuit of a source of money to replace declining timber revenue to support the needs of the Warm Springs reservation must not end this way, with an unwanted casino, furious neighbors and another blemish in the scenic gorge.

Gov. John Kitzhaber, who blocked a compromise that would have permitted the casino in Cascade Locks, will be out of office in 14 months. Kitzhaber argued that allowing the Warm Springs to build in Cascade Locks would have set a bad precedent, and prompted other tribes to seek off-reservation casinos on newly acquired land.

Well, maybe. But even if Kitzhaber had struck a compromise with the Warm Springs tribes, he and future Oregon governors still would have retained the authority to deny future off-reservation casinos if they weren't in the state's best interest. A deal that moved the casino from Hood River to the willing community of Cascade Locks, outside the national scenic area, clearly is in Oregon's interest.

The tribes have waited three frustrating years to win approval for a gorge casino. But Oregon soon will have a new governor, one who ought to understand that the state should put the Warm Springs casino where it's acceptable, and accepted, rather than in the very heart of the Columbia Gorge. The leading candidates in the gubernatorial race should study the issue and strongly endorse a casino compromise with the Warm Springs.

The tribes are poised to make a $150 million investment in a gorge casino. They have a long, long history of stewardship in the gorge. They also have a reputation as modern tribes that work closely and well with their neighbors.

They shouldn't gamble all that away on a misplaced casino.
Source:  8/16/01 - The Oregonian, Editorial.