FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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OPPOSITION TO CASINO PROPOSED IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

The Warm Springs tribes and the governor of Oregon (Ted Kulongoski) have proposed the construction of a 500,000 square foot off-reservation casino within the heart of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area at Cascades Locks.  This would be the first off-reservation casino in Oregon.  It is estimated that the casino would draw three million visitors each year and would have ten times the parking capacity as Multnomah Falls.

The proposed casino would harm nearby nesting habitat for bald eagles, osprey, and great blue heron.  The associated expansion of the freeway (I-84) may harm salmon and steelhead in nearby Herman Creek.  The development and the related traffic are likely to worsen air pollution in the gorge.  Runoff from the parking area for the casino and other related development is likely to contribute to pollution of the waters of the Columbia River.

The proposal and its ancillary development will cause traffic congestion on the nearby freeway (I-84) and result in tremendous growth pressures within the community of Cascade Locks and the surrounding area.  This growth pressure is likely to lead to efforts to expand the urban growth boundary for Cascade Locks into surrounding scenic area lands.

If approved, the casino will set a precedent for more off-reservation casinos in the Columbia Gorge and throughout the state.  In a recent poll, 63.3 percent of Oregonians opposed the casino proposal and 67 percent would vote against it if it were to be put on the ballot.

At the present time, the Interior Department has disallowed the compact for the casino signed by the governor and the Warm Springs tribe on May 20, 2005 because of procedural errors.  Consideration of other questions is still pending, and NEPA scoping will soon begin.

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs opposes the proposal for an off- reservation tribal casino in the Columbia River Gorge.

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