What issue can unite environmentalists, restaurant owners and faith-based pro-family organizations to form the Coalition for Oregon's Future?

The answer is the decision by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to change state policy and allow a huge off-reservation casino in the Columbia River Gorge.

Our coalition represents more than 50,000 Oregonians. We've never come together before, but we now have a common cause: protecting the natural environment, small businesses and our families from a radical change in state and federal gaming policies to allow off-reservation casinos. Even though the final decision whether to approve the casino is years away and must undergo lengthy federal scrutiny, we have sent a joint letter to Interior Secretary Gale Norton expressing our opposition.

Why is a gorge casino a bad idea?

First, because the policy change required to site the casino -- no longer requiring that Native American casinos be built only on reservation lands for the benefit of their members -- opens the door to an explosion of new casinos across Oregon. If a Cascade Locks off-reservation casino, just 25 minutes from Portland, is approved by the federal government, other Oregon tribes will demand equal treatment and equal opportunity to build casinos off their reservations in and around major Oregon cities.

Second, the Columbia River Gorge is a designated national scenic area and one of Oregon's greatest natural landmarks. Surely we can all agree that there are better locations for a Las Vegas-style casino than on the banks of the Columbia River, minutes from Multnomah Falls and other scenic treasures that make Oregon such a special place to live.

Third, more casinos in urban areas will severely harm hundreds of small businesses because of increased labor and pricing competition. This policy will result in lost revenue to state programs, such as public schools, which last year received more than $400 million from Oregon's state-run lottery programs. Huge casinos such as those being proposed at Cascade Locks and in Washington's Clark County will draw visitors away from existing businesses at Troutdale and Jantzen Beach -- and that will cost jobs.

Fourth, more casinos in urban areas will lead to greater social decay, crime, addictions and family conflicts over money. This is particularly true for lower-income families who can least afford to risk their paychecks on games of chance. Casinos located in and around urban areas will undoubtedly be closer to neighborhoods, schools and churches and create even more challenges for parents as they seek to raise their children and protect them from an often-corrosive culture.

This debate is about far more than the location of a single casino. It's about the future of our state -- our natural environment, our small businesses and our families. Before we risk these things, we hope all Oregonians will speak to our elected officials -- both in Washington, D.C., and here at home -- and say "no" to a change in policy allowing off-reservation casinos -- at Cascade Locks and elsewhere.

Kevin Gorman is executive director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Mike McCallum is president and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant Association. Tim Nashif is political director of the Oregon Family Council.