Four tribal nations stand against Coquille Indian Tribe’s Oregon casino project

It’s been more than a decade of effort from the Coquille Indian Tribe to open a new casino along South Pacific Highway in Medford – a project drawing opposition from other tribal nations.

Earlier this month, the Karuk, Cow Creek, Elk Valley, and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Tribes—all based in Northern California and Oregon—drafted a letter requesting Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland visit their tribes ahead of issuing an exception to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that would allow the move by the Coquille Tribe.

The Coquille Tribe must place the 2.4 acres of land into trusts through the DOI to complete the project, a process usually done with land close to a tribe’s reservation.