| Gov Andrus: More leadership needed to stop casino proposal |
by Cecil D. Andrus
The Oregonian
August 09, 2009
If you're from the Northwest, you likely have a story, a memory or favorite spot in the majestic Columbia River Gorge. I have plenty because I was born in Hood River in 1931 and early on came to love the area; its scenery and wildlife. During four terms as Governor of Idaho and four years as Interior Secretary for President Carter, I supported efforts to protect the Gorge's incredible natural landscape for future generations.
But, you don't have to be a politician, environmentalist, hiker, windsurfer or even someone who regularly visits the Gorge to know that it is a place so special that it deserves unique protection from inappropriate development. That's why Congress in 1986 passed and President Reagan signed legislation creating the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and why earlier this year Congress passed and President Obama signed legislation creating the new Mt. Hood wilderness areas that include parts of the Gorge Scenic Area.
While state and local communities have a say in the decisions affecting the future of the Gorge, it is a truly a National Scenic Area - not just an Oregon or Washington scenic area. An area as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks, the Columbia River Gorge was protected for all Americans to appreciate and enjoy - forever.
Unfortunately, the proposal to develop a 600,000 square-foot casino resort and associated parking lots and retail structures in the heart of the Gorge and within one-half mile of the new wilderness boundary poses a serious threat to the future of the Columbia River Gorge. This threat is why I have signed a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar along with eighteen local and national conservation and recreation organizations -groups ranging from the National Audubon Society to the Trails Club of Oregon to the Oregon League of Conservation Voters -- in calling for the Obama Administration and Interior Department to reject once and for all this decade-old casino proposal.
The Bush Administration, certainly no friend to the environment, couldn't bring itself to approve a casino in the Gorge. It would be a terrible legacy indeed for the new conservation-minded Obama Administration to permit the development of a Gorge casino with all its negative impacts on fish, wildlife, water, wildflowers, scenic corridors and outdoor recreation.
What's needed now is real leadership.
Leadership from Oregon and Washington federal and state elected officials to speak out against the threatening proposal and in favor or protecting the Gorge; leadership from the Obama Administration and the Department of the Interior to end the casino approval process and work with tribal casino advocates to form a more appropriate on-reservation casino location; and leadership from concerned citizens who love the Gorge to demand that the elected leaders and government officials who work for us not approve this misguided scheme.
Cecil D. Andrus served as governor of Idaho for 14 years and Secretary of the Interior from 1977 to 1981.
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