About Nature Quest, Inc.

About Nature Quest, Inc. | About our Staff | About our Guides

Officers & staff

Patrick C. Maier, President, Guide
For over 25 years, Pat has been guiding in the great outdoors, from Colorado to South Dakota to Pennsylvania. His journey began with a bachelor's degree in recreation and resource management from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on wildlife and forest management. He has been trained as a professional guide, and is an avid hunter, an elk farmer, and artist who enjoys creating useful and decorative items from organic materials and metal. Since 1982, he and his wife, Jill, have owned and operated Mountain Trail Horse Center outside Wellsboro.

In addition to Nature Quest, Inc. and Mountain Trail Horse Center, Pat has been active on the state and local levels to promote tourism and outdoor recreation. In 1998, Pat was appointed by then Governor Tom Ridge to serve on the Governor's Travel and Tourism Partnership to represent outdoor recreation in the state. The partnership includes representatives from state agencies, statewide organizations, the General Assembly, the state's visitor bureaus, and private-sector tourist destinations and organizations. He continues to remain active in the partnership and was re-appointed by Governor Ed Rendell in 2003.

Pat has served as president for three seperate terms on the board of the Tioga County Visitors Bureau, and has been president for three separate terms. He serves on DCNR's Recreational Advisory Council. He is also a member of the National Rifle Association, the Nature Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Equine Council.

Perry L. Smith, Treasurer
Perry established Gateway Construction in Summerdale, Pa., in 1993, and became its president in 1995. He leads the company efforts to gain new commercial and industrial customers as well as provide the most cost-effective methods and materials for the construction projects. He has worked in construction project management, sales and estimating since 1985. Perry and Pat have worked on projects together for many years, creating a successful elk farming operation and now establishing Nature Quest, Inc. as the premier Eco-tourism destination.

Jill Maier, Secretary
A longtime resident of Tioga County, Jill holds bachelors' degrees in sociology/anthropology and criminal justice and was a social worker for nine years before leaving the field in 1989 to devote herself full-time to Mountain Trail Horse Center with Pat, which they have owned since 1982. As its business manager, she oversees the company's operations, including finance, marketing, hospitality coordinator, wrangling, horse training, guiding, driving and management. Jill is a past board member of the Tioga County Visitors Bureau. She and Pat have two daughters.