FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5.31.07
Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Extension for Big Lagoon and Los Coyotes Gaming Compacts
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced an agreement between his Administration, Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County to extend the date the compacts must take effect and the date the land the casino will be built upon must be taken into trust by the federal government.
"This unique collaboration saves pristine coastline and protects the state’s biggest estuary. Today’s agreement gives the Legislature until the end of this year’s session to approve this balanced solution to a dilemma that has spanned more than a decade," said Gov. Schwarzenegger.
"One must see the land surrounding this potential casino site to understand that Big Lagoon is a place of statewide environmental significance," said Ruth Coleman, director of State Parks. "It is an extremely fragile wetland and placing a casino there would impact three nearby state parks and damage the lagoon's unique ecosystem. We applaud the tribes for protecting this land and urge the Legislature to approve their efforts."
The original compacts authorize the Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County to establish a single, unified casino project in the City of Barstow on a piece of property identified by the City. The City sought to have a casino located in Barstow and had previously entered into an exclusive arrangement with the Los Coyotes Band to allow for the construction of a casino. As a condition of its compact with the state, the Los Coyotes Band agreed to share its site in Barstow with the Big Lagoon Rancheria and forgo the right to conduct gaming on its tribal lands in San Diego County.
Big Lagoon Rancheria, in exchange for the right to locate its gaming operations in Barstow, agreed to refrain from building a casino or any other commercial development on its tribal lands along the coast of northern California. The Big Lagoon Rancheria's lands are adjacent to park land and Big Lagoon, one of the few remaining naturally functioning coastal lagoons in the state.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced an agreement between his Administration, Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County to extend the date the compacts must take effect and the date the land the casino will be built upon must be taken into trust by the federal government.
"This unique collaboration saves pristine coastline and protects the state’s biggest estuary. Today’s agreement gives the Legislature until the end of this year’s session to approve this balanced solution to a dilemma that has spanned more than a decade," said Gov. Schwarzenegger.
"One must see the land surrounding this potential casino site to understand that Big Lagoon is a place of statewide environmental significance," said Ruth Coleman, director of State Parks. "It is an extremely fragile wetland and placing a casino there would impact three nearby state parks and damage the lagoon's unique ecosystem. We applaud the tribes for protecting this land and urge the Legislature to approve their efforts."
The original compacts authorize the Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County to establish a single, unified casino project in the City of Barstow on a piece of property identified by the City. The City sought to have a casino located in Barstow and had previously entered into an exclusive arrangement with the Los Coyotes Band to allow for the construction of a casino. As a condition of its compact with the state, the Los Coyotes Band agreed to share its site in Barstow with the Big Lagoon Rancheria and forgo the right to conduct gaming on its tribal lands in San Diego County.
Big Lagoon Rancheria, in exchange for the right to locate its gaming operations in Barstow, agreed to refrain from building a casino or any other commercial development on its tribal lands along the coast of northern California. The Big Lagoon Rancheria's lands are adjacent to park land and Big Lagoon, one of the few remaining naturally functioning coastal lagoons in the state.
The lagoon is managed by the Department of Fish and Game as an ecological preserve and is part of a fragile coastal ecosystem supporting a diverse species population that includes three species listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Big Lagoon Rancheria has long sought to locate a casino along the shore of the lagoon on its tribal lands and has been in litigation with the State over its federal right to seek a gaming compact on those lands for over six years.
Big Lagoon Rancheria is a functioning seasonal lagoon that provides critical coastal wetlands for fish and wildlife species. Big Lagoon is home for thousands of migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway and Roosevelt elk and black tailed deer can frequently be found foraging along the Lagoon’s periphery. Fish species that depend on the lagoon include Chinook salmon and listed coho salmon, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout.
"The Big Lagoon Wildlife Area is managed in its natural state for the preservation of the Big Lagoon and its surrounding flora and fauna. Lagoons are an incubator of life and represent an incredible coming together of species from land, air and fresh and saltwater environments," said L. Ryan Broddrick, director of the Department of Fish and Game. "The area’s protection from development is a high priority for the Department of Fish and Game as we endeavor to protect the Public Trust resources for their use and enjoyment today and for future generations."
Link to additional background about the terms of the compacts.
Link to extension agreements with Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County.
Big Lagoon Rancheria is a functioning seasonal lagoon that provides critical coastal wetlands for fish and wildlife species. Big Lagoon is home for thousands of migratory birds in the Pacific Flyway and Roosevelt elk and black tailed deer can frequently be found foraging along the Lagoon’s periphery. Fish species that depend on the lagoon include Chinook salmon and listed coho salmon, steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout.
"The Big Lagoon Wildlife Area is managed in its natural state for the preservation of the Big Lagoon and its surrounding flora and fauna. Lagoons are an incubator of life and represent an incredible coming together of species from land, air and fresh and saltwater environments," said L. Ryan Broddrick, director of the Department of Fish and Game. "The area’s protection from development is a high priority for the Department of Fish and Game as we endeavor to protect the Public Trust resources for their use and enjoyment today and for future generations."
Link to additional background about the terms of the compacts.
Link to extension agreements with Big Lagoon Rancheria of Humboldt County and the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians in San Diego County.
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