The term “land beyond the roads” is one Merritt has always associated with wilderness, and he is now writing a book on the subject.

“I was always busy working on wilderness and wildlife,” Merritt said. “I established several organizations to do that very thing - to work beyond the roads and have a wilderness legacy.”

After attending university, Merritt spent 25 years working for state and federal agencies. He became involved in wildlife conservation and served as a member and officer of several wildlife organizations, including Flathead Lake Wildlife Association, Flathead Wildlife Inc., which he founded, and District 1 of the Montana Wildlife Federation. In 1958, he helped found the Montana Wilderness Association and supported the protection of numerous public wildlands and associated wildlife.

From 1964 to 1978, Merritt was national field director of the Wilderness Society. In this capacity, he first lobbied Congress to pass the Wilderness Act, which created the basic National Wilderness System. He then recruited and organized one of the strongest field forces for wilderness in history. These field representatives led the struggles that placed millions of acres of wildlands throughout the U.S. in the wilderness system.

Merritt founded American Wildlands in 1978 and became its executive director. He initiated a successful campaign to establish the 161,000-acre Elkhorn National Wildlife Management Area southeast of Helena. The area is the only large tract in the National Forest system to be managed primarily for wildlife, which requires significant solitude and security from humans and human construction. Since the establishment of the wildlife management area, the elk have increased from 900 to about 3,000 head.

Merritt was deeply involved in establishing the Scapegoat, Absaroka-Beartooth, Frank Church-River of No Return, Hells Canyon and many other wildlands throughout the West as wilderness areas. He also was instrumental in the creation of the Jewel Basin Hiking Area in the Swan Mountains.

He originated the proposal and worked to secure 253,000 acres as the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, protecting portions of the Madison Range from Bear Trap Canyon to Yellowstone National Park.

In 1990, Merritt led American Wildlands to initiate the first scientific program, Corridors of Life, to identify essential routes for major wildlife migrations between the Salmon-Selway-Bitterroot, Northern Continental Divide and Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems. The program includes some of the first Geographic Information System satellite mapping in the West, and the information obtained is being used by other conservation groups and agencies. The objective is to link designated wilderness areas, roadless units, parks and refuges with biological corridors so wildlife can move between undeveloped habitats. Without such linkage, wildlife authorities say that the wild-ranging wildlife of the northern Rockies will not long survive.

Merritt decided to give his life to the cause of wilderness because, well, someone had to do it.

“I decided to spend my life protecting wildlands because there weren't any outstanding good ones to do that,” he says.

Merritt disregards the fact he's a recipient of the 2005 Nick Kramis Conservation Award given by the Ravalli County Fish and Wildlife Association, the Friends of the Bitterroot Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Motors Conservation Award.

“Many of these plaques were given to me by others who found I had done things especially good, and I just shake my head and say, ‘It's up to you,'” he says.

Where Merritt has put in a great deal of leg work, he expects the next generation of conservationists to pick up where he left off.

“We need some wild, undeveloped, government areas for wildlife and for people to enjoy,” he says. “Not all cut up and timber-eliminated and drilled. That's the objective.”

Reporter Kristin Knight can be reached at 363-3300 or kknight@ravallirepublic.com

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