History

Doc’s Memorial Outdoor Adventures began as a middle school class taught at Briarhill Middle School, in Lewisville ISD. The class focus was everything outdoors, and students were able to obtain their Hunter’s Safety Card and Boater Education Card through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Students also learned fishing, archery, outdoor cooking, survival skills, compass and orienteering skills, CPR and first aid. Wishing to provide opportunities for students to practice skills learned in class in a real world situation, the founder of Doc’s began working with landowners, the Texas Youth Hunting Program, and hunting and fishing guides state-wide to provide cost-effective, supervised adventures. To date, student’s have traveled through national parks in the southwest US and Florida. They have also traveled to Costa Rica to hike jungles, cloud forests, and the sides of volcanoes. They have zip lined across mountain-sides and whitewater rafted. They have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, navigated the Virgin Narrows and climbed the Angel’s Stairs in Zion. They have hunted from the panhandle of Texas to the Gulf of Mexico for Pronghorn Antelope, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, turkey, hogs, ducks, geese, cranes, dove, quail and pheasants. They have also harvested exotics such as Red Stag, Aoudad, Sitka, Axis Deer, Fallow Deer and Blackbuck Antelope. They have caught Striped Bass, White Bass, Black Bass, Crappie and catfish across north and central Texas, and saltwater fish out of Port Aransas on the coast. For over twenty five years, the program has been an integral part of the community and the sons and daughters of former students are now taking the course. In the fall of 2022 school year, Doc’s Memorial Outdoor Adventures was formed to help facilitate the growing number of trips and to expand the program beyond the campus and district to incorporate youth state-wide. It was incorporated as 501c3 non-profit in October 2022.

Doc’s Memorial Outdoor Adventures is named after Doctor Russell Martz, who selflessly passed on his love of the outdoors to students the same way he passed on that love to his family. Whether it was guiding a youth on a hunt, cooking a meal in camp, chopping wood or digging a latrine, he never turned down any opportunity to serve. This organization is part of his legacy.

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