One of the last acts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Obama administration was to inform the Coquille Tribe of Oregon that it could open a second, off-reservation casino if its 2.4 acres in Medford is put into trust for a reservation. The land is 170 miles from the tribe’s Coos Bay reservation.
Paula Hart, director of the Office of Indian Gaming, sent a memo to the tribe indicating that a preliminary review, conducted by the Solicitor’s Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior, determined that if the land was taken into trust it would qualify for a casino.
Whether that means the Trump administration will follow through on this implied promise wasn’t spelled out. However Tribal Chairwoman Brenda Meade was optimistic. She wrote the Mail Tribune, “While we recognize that this decision will not be finalized until the end of the federal process, this clarification encourages us to move forward on planning for the Cedars at Bear Creek and further development in Medford.” She added, “We now have clear direction from the Department of the Interior.”
The process for taking the Medford land into trust has been ongoing for four years. The tribe proposes to build Cedars at Bear Creek casino adjacent to Highway 99 in Medford. The casino would have 650 slots but no table games. The land is currently a bowling alley and former restaurant site. This would be the tribe’s second casino. Its first is the Mill Casino in North Bend.
The casino is opposed by the Cow Creek tribe, which criticized the outgoing administration. “This was kind of surprising that they did it at the 11th hour,” said Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians CEO Michael Rondeau. The Cow Creek tribe asserts that the memo disregards opposition raised by the state and local community and violates state gaming policy. It argues that the Coquille have no ancestral base in Medford—something that the Coquilles deny.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, the city of Medford and Jackson County’s board of supervisors have all gone on record opposing the Medford casino. Jackson Supervisor Bob Strosser complains that the county is “at the mercy of the process.”
Meade said the tribe hopes to work with Medford, despite its opposition, such as an agreement to provide water and sewer services, police and fire to the tribe.
Rondeau commented to the Mail Tribune: “While we disagree with this interpretation of law and believe this is bad public policy, this is one decision in a complex and multi-step process that we believe ultimately will not meet the rigorous federal standards necessary for it to move forward.” He added, “We’re viewing this as one step in a long process.” The tribe argues that the memo circumvents the normal process spelled out by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) which requires that the Department of the Interior determine that gaming on the lands will not be harmful to the surround community.
The Coquille tribe maintains that the memo said that a “restored lands” rather than a “two-part determination” would be used to put the land into trust. If that were the case, then the opposition by Governor Brown would not be a factor.
The city of Medford insists that a two-part determination is required. City Manager Brian Sjothun told World Casino News that this would involve the governor’s office.
