Waterwalker Film Festival to honour 'patron saint of canoeing'

The upcoming Waterwalker Film Festival will honour Bill Mason.

The students of Sault College's Adventure Recreation and Parks Technician program are dedicating the festival to conservation, something they say he would have appreciated.

Organizers are looking to raise money to donate to the Algoma Highlands Conservancy. The goal of the conservancy is to protect Sault Ste. Marie's Robertson Cliffs and King Mountain.

Mason, who died in 1988, was a filmmaker, naturalist, author, artist, and conservationist, and has been called the "patron saint of canoeing." He is noted for using his career to educate as many people as he could about the importance of protecting the outdoors, the importance of wolves and canoeing.

Mason produced 18 films that promoted his respect for nature during his time with the National Film Board of Canada.

The Waterwalker Film Festival is on April 14 in the Essar Hall at Sault College with doors opening at 5:45 p.m.

Films related to the outdoors will be shown between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.