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Vancouver-area nature sites described in book

VANCOUVER - More than 40 naturalists write about their favourite haunts in the new book Parks and Nature Places Around Vancouver.

Many of the destinations are in Vancouver and Burnaby, but others are located as far east as Fort Langley and south to Point Roberts.

Catherine Aitchison writes that Vancouver's Stanley Park - at 405 hectares, one of the largest municipal parks in North America - "offers something for everyone," including flower gardens, picnic areas, the Vancouver Aquarium, beaches, children's playgrounds and a large variety of wildlife.

At Brae Island Regional Park in Fort Langley, it's possible to combine riverside walks, mountain vistas, woodland trails through mature second-growth forest, and a visit to "the birthplace of British Columbia," writes Jaideep Mukerji.

Fort Langley is where the Hudson's Bay Co. established a post to trade with the West Coast First Nations, an enterprise that led to the creation of the colony of British Columbia.

The book, from Harbour Publishing, was conceived to mark the 90th anniversary of Nature Vancouver, formerly the Vancouver Natural History Society.

Yorkton film festival May 21-24

YORKTON, Sask. - The Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival is adding a new award this year to honour Ruth Shaw, the last of the original festival members.

Shaw celebrated her 90th birthday in October at a dinner hosted by the festival and the award will go to a Saskatchewan production.

Established in 1947 as the Yorkton Film Council, the first festival was held in 1950, making it Canada's first short film and video festival and it bills itself as the longest running in North America. This year's festival runs May 21-24.

It presents Golden Sheaf Awards in 21 genre categories and three craft awards categories.

This year's festival also will feature a number of workshops on media in transition, emerging producers and an industry fair.

On the Net: www.goldensheafawards.com.

Magazine picks top Canadian hotels

The editors at National Geographic Traveler have picked 13 Canadian hotels for their second annual Stay List.

The 129 hotels selected displayed "a transcendent vision that goes beyond traditional hotel-keeping."

The Canadian hotels span most of the country, from Clayoquot Wilderness Resort on the extreme west coast of British Columbia to Chanterelle Country Inn on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

The other Canadian hotels picked were:

* Island Lake Lodge, Fernie, B.C.

* Hastings House Country House Hotel, Salt Spring Island, B.C.

* Sonora Resort, Sonora Island, B.C.

* Lazy Bear Lodge and Cafe, Churchill, Man.

* Fairmont Algonquin, St. Andrews by-the-Sea

* Crown Jewel Resort Ranch, Cape Breton Island, N.S.

* Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, Ont.

* Hotel Nelligan, Montreal, Que.

* Auberge Place D'Armes, Quebec City, Que.

* Bombay Peggy's Victorian Inn & Pub, Dawson City, Yukon

* Inn on the Lake, Whitehorse, Yukon

Source: The Canadian Press