By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
March 12, 2008

Cheryle Kennedy, chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, testified against a competing tribal casino at a federal hearing in Cascade Locks on Monday.

She drew protest from members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs with claims that her people had ancestral ties to the Columbia River Gorge.

Warm Springs’ members pointed out to Bureau of Indian Affairs officials that they had legal rights to hunt, fish and gather in the Gorge. They said these rights were given to them in exchange for turning 10 million acres, including the Gorge lands, over to the United States government in an 1855 treaty.

Roslyn Sampson was one of several Warm Springs’ members to assert that the tribes would still inhabit the Gorge if federal officials had not forced them onto the Central Oregon reservation.

“Your ways are being forced to change because of our casino? No one asked our ancestors if they wanted to change their ways,” she said.

Kennedy expressed concern about the environmental harm that would result if the Warm Springs built about a 600,000 square feet casino/resort on 25 acres within Cascade Locks’ industrial park.

The $398 million facility, if approved, would include 90,000 square feet of gaming space. The remainder of the building would include a 241-room hotel, 26,000 square feet for meeting and convention rooms, a spa and fitness center, retail shops, cultural and interpretive center, a daycare facility and a variety of dining options. The Warm Springs would lease another 35 acres from the Port of Cascade Locks for a parking lot.

Kennedy ended her comments at the March 10th hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement by asking BIA to consider the financial well-being of the Grand Ronde when making a final decision. Spirit Mountain, the casino run by these tribes, is currently sited the closest to Portland’s large population base. The facility is located about 63 miles to the west of the metro area on Highway 18.

“Spirit Mountain is the sole industry that we have,” Kennedy said.

“When the BIA is looking at this proposal be mindful that we are also affected by this.”

A third tribe entered into the discussion when Bill Iyall, chair of the Cowlitz Tribal Council, spoke in favor of the Warm Spring’s plan. His tribe is also facing opposition funded largely by the Grand Ronde in their quest to build a casino near La Center, Wash.

“It’s important that tribes support all Indian people and both the Warm Springs and Cowlitz should be able to provide for their people as the Grand Ronde does,” said Iyall.

Three hundred and sixty people crowded into the Gorge Pavilion in Cascade Locks for the March 10 hearing. A line also formed outside of the building as people waited for an empty seat or the chance to testify.

Kennedy was one of 16 people to object to the Warm Springs’ plan. The majority of opponents were either members of the Grand Ronde tribes or lived outside of Hood River County.

Tiffany Pruit, a former Cascade Locks city councilor, was one of the local residents who spoke against the casino. She asserted that the decision-making process regarding the proposal had been “skewed from day one.”

“Does Cascade Locks want a casino or not? Nobody knows. An unbiased survey has never been done,” she said.

Twenty-six citizens spoke in favor of the Cascade Locks proposal during the 90-minute hearing. Fewer than half of these individuals resided in Cascade Locks and the remainder were either government officials or members of the Warm Springs tribes. Supporters of the project agreed with the DEIS conclusion that Cascade Locks was the site that most met the tribal need for a $26 million annual income.

The other locations under consideration by the BIA include the 40 acres of eligible land the Warm Springs own just east of Hood River and a site on the reservation along Highway 26. The BIA could also choose not to approve any of the alternatives.

“This is key to our ability to survive and maintain our tribal government. And adequately provide for the people so that we may prosper and never compromise our people’s ability to live with dignity and have the basic necessities to survive in today’s world,” said Leona Adele Ilke, a Warm Springs member.

Dale Star was one of several Cascade Locks residents to express, “100 percent” approval for the casino proposal.

“I’m tired of watching this town fall apart. We need this casino or we will become a ghost town,” he said.

Cascade Locks Port Director Chuck Daughtry and other local officials asked that the current westbound exit not be closed in favor of a new interchange that would bring motorists directly into the industrial park where the casino would be located. They said the Oregon Department of Transportation proposal would divert traffic away from the current route through the downtown business district and along Forest Lane, a residential street.

Daughtry said, if a variance was granted to keep west Exit 44 open, the majority of city residents looked forward to the economic boost that a casino would bring.

“We need to grow or we will die. This project will attract new families to work, live and go to school here,” he said.

Another hearing on the DEIS will take place in Hood River County on Monday. Community members wanting to testify or submit comments are invited by the BIA to attend the forum from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Hood River Middle School Auditorium, 1602 May Street.