Catherine Olcott papers about the Bureau of Land Management

Catherine "Cathie" M. Olcott was born in 1925 near McMinnville, Oregon, and grew up in rural Yamhill and Lincoln counties. She was active in efforts to prevent mining and logging at Opal Creek, Oregon, and she was a member of the Oregon Environmental Council. In 1980, she was appointed to the Salem district advisory council for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). At the conclusion of her one-year term, the Salem district manager nominated her for another term, but the nomination was overruled by U.S. Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt. Olcott protested Watt's choices for appointment, asserting that they violated federal regulations governing advisory council operations. In addition to serving on the advisory council, Olcott was president of the Salem Geological Society and vice president of the Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs. She died in 2019.

Sources: Obituary for Catherine Olcott in the Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), June 23, 2019, page C7; obituary for Gordon West Olcott in the Statesman Journal, May 27, 2006, page C1; "BLM advisory members are appointed," Capital Press (Salem, Oregon), Western Oregon edition, July 25, 1980, page 10; "BLM panels stacked, Watt critics charge," by John Hayes, Oregonian, May 3, 1983, page B1.

At the end of 1981, the members of nine Bureau of Land Management (BLM) advisory councils in Oregon completed their terms of service. Throughout 1982, BLM officials in Washington, D.C., declined to act on council nominations made by the bureau's district managers in Oregon. U.S. Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt (1938-2023) redrafted council regulations to increase the council members' terms from one year to three years, and consulted with Republican Party organizations to find nominees, often ignoring the nominations made by district managers. Many of the Oregon council members appointed in 1983 were representatives from the timber, mining, and agricultural industries, and 64 of the 72 appointees were registered Republicans. These appointments drew condemnation from environmental groups, Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives, and Oregon Democratic congressmen Les AuCoin, James Weaver, and Ron Wyden. Despite the protests, the appointments were not overturned. In October 1983, Watt, who had been a topic of controversy both for his policies and for offensive statements he had made, resigned from his position as Secretary of the Interior.

Sources: "BLM panels stacked, Watt critics charge," by John Hayes, Oregonian, May 3, 1983, page B1; "2 Oregon lawmakers join in denouncing Watt appointments," by John Hayes, Oregonian, May 4, 1983, page B4; "Oregon legislators chide Watt for BLM council appointments," by John Hayes, Oregonian, May 10, 1983, page B3; "AuCoin grills Watt over choices for BLM panels," by James C. Flanagan, Oregonian, May 13, 1983, page C3; "Policies, remarks eroded Watt's support," by Philip Shabecoff, New York Times article printed in the Oregonian, October 10, 1983, page A5; "Watt out as chief, but Oregon still stews," by John Hayes, Oregonian, October 30, 1983, page C8.