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Surface lessee objects to town-supported mountain bike trail; mayor gives two-week review window
Summary
A surface lessee told Thayne council that a proposed mountain bike trail network on nearby state-leased land would harm his ranching operation, citing livestock losses and urging the town to send full plans; the town will send the master plan and grant application and gave the lessee two weeks to respond before pursuing the grant.
Scott Dayton, the surface lessee for the state lease where the Town of Thayne and a private bike club propose a mountain bike trail network, told the Council the plan would jeopardize his ranching operation and that he opposes the town acting as a conduit for a grant on behalf of a private club.
Dayton said he has lost cattle to shooting and described calves being run over in higher-recreation areas, and argued that a dense trail network across his roughly 200-acre leasehold would disrupt his ability to run replacement heifers. He told the Council he has not yet received the town’s master plan or the grant application and that he would only discuss the project with the town or government representatives, not with the bike club itself.
Mayor Devin J. Simpson said the grant application was submitted with his direct involvement and authority and acknowledged Dayton’s concerns as valid. Simpson committed to sending Dayton the full master plan and grant application and set a two-week deadline for Dayton to review and provide feedback. “If no productive response is received,” Simpson said, “the town will proceed with the grant application and, if necessary, contest the surface lease through the state process.”
Robert Hood of Sunrise Engineering, representing the Mountain Bike Club on planning matters, acknowledged that the conceptual map might look more intensive than actual trail density and said the club is willing to redesign around shaded areas or watering locations where cattle concentrate. Hood emphasized the club’s in-kind commitments—planning, design, legal expertise, contractor relationships and ongoing trail maintenance—calling those contributions the club’s “skin in the game.”
Senator Dan Dockstader, speaking from a state perspective, told the Council that the State Lands office is looking for a local resolution before acting on applications and encouraged stakeholders to work toward a master plan that initially concentrates trail development in low-conflict areas. He cited other Wyoming examples where cattle-and-bike operations have coexisted.
Nut graf: The exchange pits ranching operations against recreational development on state lease land. The mayor and state senator urged collaboration and staged development while the surface lessee pressed for specific safeguards; the town will send project materials and await Dayton’s response before making further decisions.
Council members did not take a formal vote on the trail itself; instead, the town committed to delivering documentation and pursuing further dialogue with both surface lessees and the club. The two-week review window is the next procedural step; if Dayton remains unproductive, the town indicated it will continue the grant process and pursue state-level remedies if required.
The discussion underscores competing local priorities—ranch operations and outdoor recreation—and places the matter on a short timeline for follow-up next month.
