The Coquille Tribes says it is “very frustrated” that the Department of the Interior has yet to act on its application to put land into trust in Oregon although it started the process four years ago.
The tribe wants to put 2.42 acres into trust for a Class II casino that would be called the Cedars at Bear Creek in Medford. The tribe’s Class III Mill Casino is 170 miles away.
The proposal is very controversial among other gaming tribes and local officials, former Governor John Kitzhaber, Jackson County commissioners, the city of Medford and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley.
The main tribal opposition comes from the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians who operate the Cow Creek casino. The Coquille’s application prompted this response from Cow Creek CEO Michael Rondeau: “This project has been suspect from the start. The Coquille, in their own words, said they wanted a “small facility” but now we know they lied. Their vision for an off-reservation casino in Medford is anything but small and if approved would establish a mega casino the size of those in Las Vegas—45 acres is double the size of any casino in Oregon—opening the gates to more of its kind up across the state without any consent from the Oregonians who live here.”
In the intervening four years the tribe has invested $6 million in acquiring 45 acres next to the site. Normally land placed into trust after 1988 can’t be used for casinos, however an exception is sometimes made for tribes that were restored to federal recognition. This happened to the tribe in 1989 through the Coquille Restoration Act, which requires the Interior Department to put up to 1,000 acres into trust for the tribe.
Coquille Tribal Chairman Brenda Meade told the Mail Tribune “We are still very frustrated waiting for land to be placed into trust.” She hopes that the Secretary of the Interior who has been named to replace Ryan Zinke who resigned under fire in December will make a decision this year.
