The Environmental Argument Against the Koi Nation Casino Proposal

The red fence shows how close the proposed casino will be to the wetlands of Martin Luther King, Jr. Shoreline Park.

The Proposed Koi Nation Casino would be located at the gateway of one of the bay’s most unique and environmentally sensitive parks. The casino site is right at the entrance of the two main trails into a park which protects the last remaining wetland habitat in the East Bay – once extensive marshlands at San Leandro Bay including Damon Slough and beautiful Arrowhead Marsh. This Shoreline Park includes the mouths of five major creek systems. It is only place in Oakland where you can walk into marshlands heavily habited with wetland birds. I would guess it is one of the few in the nation located within minutes of an urban area. This is what makes this area so fragile.

The 50-acre Arrowhead Marsh is a stopover on the Pacific Flyway and is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Thousands of waterfowl and shorebirds use the tidal and seasonal wetlands at this park. The endangered California Clapper Rail is present in large numbers as well as the Burrowing Owl. Several bird species breed there including American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and Pintail ducks.

Its restoration and preservation has been a labor of love and a fight to preserve our environmental heritage. It is the site of the annual national day of service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Major educational programs for youth and schools as well as major volunteer efforts are conducted here.

The best way to appreciate what is at stake is to take a walk along the trails surrounding the proposed casino site. You can also learn more from the following sites:

Ø East Bay Region Parks: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/mlk.htm

Ø About the Birds and Endangered Species, the Audubon site: http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/Conservation/12_04.arrowhead.act.htm

Ø About the highly rated trails: http://www.bahiker.com/eastbayhikes/mlkshoreline.html

Ø The volunteer work done by Save the Bay and others to preserve and restore the marsh. http://savesfbay.org/getinvolved/restorewetland/mlk.cfm

Ø A form letter that can be edited and changed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and others is at: http://baysavers.savesfbay.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=23469

For more Information about the Casinos Return to Home

The parking lot bordering the main trail above is the site of the proposed casino. Local high school students restore marshland on MLK Day as part of the National Day of Service in his honor.

Arrowhead Marsh is a stop on the Pacific Flyway

MLK Day 2005