The Koi Nation of Northern California, a Native American tribe that regained federal recognition in 2000 but still doesn’t have sovereign land, wants to build a tribal casino resort in Sonoma County.
The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) recently published its environmental impact statement (EIS) regarding the Koi’s proposed development called Shiloh Resort and Casino. The tribe is seeking to build a $600 million casino on roughly 69 acres of land it purchased in September 2021.
The property in question is located along E. Shiloh Rd. at Old Redwood Highway. The BIA continues to review the tribe’s application to have the land receive federal trust status, which would make the acreage sovereign territory and allow the Indian nation to pursue a Class III gaming compact with the state for Las Vegas-style slot machines and live dealer table games to operate within the casino.
Such tribal projects are required to undergo an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. The review identifies potentially significant impacts of tribal endeavors.
Environmental Impact Findings
Chad Broussard, an environmental protection specialist with the BIA, wrote in the abstract that the Shiloh Resort and Casino poses numerous environmental threats.
Broussard concluded that the destination would create potentially significant impacts to groundwater and biological resources, public services, traffic noise and congestion, wildfire hazards, and wildlife evacuation. But those concerns could be addressed, he said.
All potentially significant impacts would be minimalized or avoided with recommended mitigation measures,” Broussard wrote.
The BIA is asking the public to review the Shiloh Resort and Casino EIS and submit comments to the federal agency within 45 days. The comment period is underway and runs through August 26.
The tribe is partnered with the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, one of the nation’s richest gaming tribes. While the Koi Nation would own Shiloh, the Chickasaws would manage the resort and share in its profits.
The Shiloh blueprint calls for a 538,137-square-foot indoor development with the casino occupying 114,000 square feet. The casino plan calls for 2,750 slot machines and 105 live dealer table games.
The resort would include 400 hotel rooms, a spa, five restaurants, four bars, retail shopping, and 74,185 square feet of flexible event space. The destination would offer 5,119 parking spaces.
Local Opposition
The Koi Nation was given 140 acres of land in Lake County in 1916, but in 1956, the federal government said it had erred in designating that property as sovereign territory and took it back. Many of the Koi people moved to Sonoma County about 20 miles south.
The tribe, as mentioned, regained federal recognition in 2000 and has since fought to have its lands restored.
The Shiloh casino is opposed by several nearby tribes, including the Federal Indians of Graton Rancheria, which owns and operates the Graton Resort & Casino located less than 15 air miles south of where the Koi Nation wants to build. Shiloh is also opposed by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Windsor Town Council, and several state lawmakers representing the region.
However, the Koi Nation has the support of 18 other California tribes and state Treasurer Fiona Ma.
The federal government, however, needs to take the land into trust to allow Shiloh to move forward with at least a Class I and II gaming destination. California governors, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), have a long history of extending Class III gaming compacts to federally recognized tribes that possess sovereign land on the Federal Register.
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