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Our Community Matters - Video Overview of Opposition to Shiloh Casino & Resort Project
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Explore recent updates and videos related to neighborhood opposition construction of Koi Nation's Shiloh Resort and Casino.
SFGATE: Graton Rancheria files lawsuit that would halt huge Bay Area casino project (12/3/24)
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EXCERPT: "The lawsuit alleges the casino grounds are 'outside of the Koi Nation’s aboriginal territory and historic rancheria, which are located over 50 miles to the north...Through its Project, the Koi Nation is improperly attempting to establish trust lands for gaming outside of its ancestral territory and in the aboriginal homeland of the Tribe,' the lawsuit says.
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Graton Rancheria members aren’t the only ones opposing the project. In August, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office sent a letter to the Department of the Interior strongly recommending they reject Koi Nation’s claim. The letter said the Koi Nation 'lacks sufficient historical connection' to Windsor because its “aboriginal homeland … lies approximately fifty miles, over winding mountain roads' away from Lake County. Newsom’s office argued that allowing the Koi Nation to claim the property as 'restored lands' would be 'focused less on restoring the relevant tribes’ aboriginal homelands, and more on creating new gaming operations in desirable markets.'"
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THE BOHEMIAN: Wildfire Roulette: Proposed Casino is Risky Business - by Nina Cote (11/26/24)
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The casino would sit on a major evacuation route outside the town of Windsor, which is susceptible to fast-moving wildfires. When a wildfire occurs, an evacuation warning could quickly turn into a mandatory evacuation order if the winds shift. Downplaying these risks without thorough analysis jeopardizes emergency response efforts and endangers 26,000 Windsor residents.
Supporters of the Koi Nation’s project say the casino will bring economic benefits to the community. However, this project should not come at the expense of the people who call Sonoma County home.
Our elected leaders agree. Windsor officials oppose the casino, telling the Bureau of Indian Affairs that it may take longer for residents to evacuate the area if the casino is developed and a wildfire occurs. Wildfires move at an unpredictable pace, and the additional time it takes for residents to evacuate is a matter of life and death.
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- Article also appeared in the Healdsburg Tribune (11/27/24)
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"The U.S. Department of the Interior is poised to approve a new mega casino that threatens safe evacuation routes for thousands of residents. In their zeal to restore land to an out-of-county tribe, DOI is ignoring the well-reasoned concerns of the local governments charged with managing evacuations, the Indigenous Southern Pomo people, who have managed fire on this land for generations and their own environmental reviews that identify a clear and present danger to Sonoma County residents."
WASHINGTON POST: Tribes battle over ancestral land — and a casino in California wine country (11/03/24)
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"California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office opposes the Koi’s project, arguing that unilateral approval by Haaland would sidestep state officials and overrule the concerns of other tribes and the area’s residents, who fear the casino would bring noise and traffic congestion... [The] governor’s office charged the Interior Department’s interpretation of where tribes can reclaim land is stretched 'beyond its legal limits — while failing to adequately consider whether there might be a better way,' according to an Aug. 16 letter to Interior Department officials. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, along with five Sonoma Country tribes, has also opposed the project, voicing similar concerns."