Founder/President/CEO/Secretary

Director Of Documentation

Membership~Registry~Conservation

Photographer

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Darice started riding at a very young age when her dad would throw her up in the saddle and say, "You get on 'um first." She's been training horses and mules ever since, working for Lifesaver's Wild Horse Rescue, Rock N Easy mule ranch, private clients, and her stock. Darice helped train 3 BLM mustangs that went to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah and she was part of a Brumby Gentling Team that went to Australia to share how our mustangs are gentled here in the U.S. She adopted her first Carters early in 2004 and they quickly became her favorite wild horse herd. Becoming a teamster has been a highlight of her career, and finding her soul mate with a mutual love of the Carters and mules has been a dream come true.

 Vice President

  CRM Historian

   Planning~Research 

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Mary brings well-rounded experiences and knowledge through her background as a small business owner, manager of rural community associations, ten years in technology document management, five years as a legal secretary, and lifelong horse owner specializing in free and half-broke horses until she was injured. Stormy weather, wide-open spaces, creating art, and her Jack Russell Terrier bring her great pleasure. She has lived in Cedarville since 2018, goes out to visit the wild Carter Mustangs regularly, even camping out a few times within the Carter HMA. 

 

Mary has been an integral part of CRMI since 2018, but it’s been behind the scenes where she volunteered by taking on numerous special projects. In late December 2025, she felt it was the right time to step up to be part of the board of directors to help move the nonprofit forward in its conservation effort. We welcome her commitment to fact-based research, her organizational skills, attention to detail, experience with small business management and community organizations, and her many leadership roles she has held. 

 

The wild Carter Reservoir Mustangs have touched her heart, and she couldn’t see herself living anywhere else other than being close to this incredible California wild horse herd.

Treasurer 

 

Janella has always had a soft spot for animals. Her first visit to Carter County was back in 2010. As a child, she had a passion for horses, longing to live close to them. Little did she know she would fall in love with the wild Carter Reservoir horses and become the pivotal person responsible for giving the Carter Conservation Center its home base. 

 

2025 will be a big transitional year for Janella as she moves from Washington State to the beautiful eastern Oregon town of Baker City, fulfilling her lifelong dream of having a few Carter Mustangs out her back door.  

 

 CRMI couldn't ask for a more experienced treasurer as Janella is a certified CPA. Her accounting knowledge has been invaluable, and we look forward to her closer involvement on a day-by-day basis.  

Advisor

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Lael grew up in rural Southern California, where she loved wild open spaces.  Her family clocked thousands of miles on horseback throughout the San Jacinto Mountain range, where she decided she wanted to get “paid to play outside.”

 

College included acquiring a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Iowa, with a minor in Biology and Geology.

 

For nearly 20 years Lael has worked for a local County Conservation Department managing various ecosystems including prairies, wetlands, savannas, and woodlands.  Management includes prescribed fire, invasive species removal, native habitat restoration, forest stand improvements, plant inventories, and native seed harvest.

 

In Lael's free time, she's outside biking, hiking, canoeing, gardening, backpacking, birding, or botanizing.

 

Lael hopes to bring her deep understanding of natural systems and ecology to the board of directors.