Tonight a group of avid off-road enthusiasts from across Oklahoma attended the City of Davis council meeting to offer support for the Crossbar Ranch ORV park and riding area. Riders spoke about taking families and children there to camp, ride the trails and enjoy the outdoors. Most explained they were concerned with the loss of public riding areas across the country and encouraged city council members to invest in Crossbar Ranch and grow it to a major off-road destination rather than take the fast buck now for a short-term game.
The council members listened to the support offered by the multitude of Oklahoma motorcyclists and voted unanimously to retain ownership of this important riding area and to NOT sell it to Arcadia Farms, owned by Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy.
Just prior to the vote, and after the strong show of support by the riding community, a representative for Arcadia Farms said "Mr. McClendon is an avid ATV supporter" if he was able to purchased Crossbar Ranch, would look at the possibility of keeping it open to off-road riders "subject to liability limitations".
We at Ride Oklahoma feel that Mr. McClendon is an wonderful person and has done a LOT for the citizens of Oklahoma. But the proof is in the results. As a major landowner in Oklahoma, if Mr. McClendon is serious about supporting the off-road community, as his representative at the Davis City Council meeting stated, then open up some of those vast EXISTING landholdings to off-road riders and outdoorsmen. If that happens and we see more - not less - land available to off-road motorcycle and ATV riding, then our position might change. Until that time we will continue to encourage public ownership of riding areas such as Crossbar Ranch. And a very BIG thank you to the Davis City Council members - and the people who elected them, as well as the motorcycle riders who took time from their busy lives to attend this important meeting. It proves that by working together important policies can be influenced.
