Bill Mason was an award-winning naturalist, author, artist, filmmaker, and conservationist, noted primarily for his popular canoeing books, films, and art. He was born in 1929 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Art in 1951. He developed and refined canoeing strokes and river-running techniques, especially for complex whitewater situations. He canoed all of his adult life, ranging widely over the wilderness areas of Canada and the United States. Called "wilderness artist," in one book about him, Mason left a legacy that includes books, films and artwork on canoeing and wild nature. He died of cancer in 1988.