Spring 2026

112 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 6 between us and that. It’s so impor tant because we’ve lost a lot of our culture, but they still keep us grounded and help us remember what it’s like to be a family.” With their equine family members’ wellbe- ing at stake, outsiders have stepped up to help Saulque, Kauk and other tribe mem- bers with their fight. Carmel’s Nico Georis and his mother Sheila Georis are two of them. Drawn to the remote Eastern Sierra years ago, Nico credits his moving and remaining there to the spirit of the Indigenous people and the hundreds of wild stallions and mares that have become part of his own journey. “I’ve never seen horses being horses until this,” Nico says. “It’s an incredible untold story of wild horses and Indigenous people on Yosemite’s doorstep.” Nico ended up con- necting with Indigenous people during protests against BLM projects, and it didn’t take persuasion to get his mother Sheila involved. “The instant he told me, my heart was called in,” she says. “You cannot argue with the heart and mine moved forward.” Serendipity occurred when Sheila, who was scheduled to meet tribal leaders and observe the horses, was expecting a visit from her friend, one of Canada’s most renowned pho- tographers, Marni Grossman. Together they, Nico, and the Tribal leaders made what ended up being a sacred trek. “There were literally hundreds of them coming from every direction,” Grossman says excitedly of the horses. “We were in the middle of this open area. You could see them coming because you could see dust flying up in the distance. I said to Ronda, ‘That was the most extraordinary experience I think I’ve ever had, to be in the wild with 150 or 200 wild horses, just being in “You could see them coming because you could see dust flying up in the distance,” says photographer Marni Grossman about being in the midst of the herd. “That was the most extraordinary experience I think I’ve ever had." Those fighting the upcoming roundup are everything from perplexed to furious with the government’s plan.