My name is Marc Kitteringham, and I'm a dirtbag.
I've spent most of my life outdoors. Things like dirt, wood, trees and water keep pulling me back out. I am always looking for the next excuse to get outside and be where I am most comfortable. To do this, I've begun building a career around telling stories about the outdoors and the people who spend their time there.
My skills as a journalist—including investigative journalism, research, editing, photography, photo editing, video editing, writing, publishing and design—are tools which help me tell these stories. I am interested in writing and publishing stories that delve into humanity, showcasing the everyday people who create such rich and vibrant communities. I believe I would be an excellent addition to your team by helping to shed light on those who would go unnoticed and building a strong community.
In the end, we're all dirtbags.
~
Features
A Cultural Man
Everyone notices when Shawn Decaire walks into the room.
They’re all excited to see him, he says hello to and has a smile for everyone he recognizes and it isn’t long before his deep low voice booms out, cutting through the noise of the crowd and making sure everyone stops what they’re doing to listen.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
1,000 km route opens northern Vancouver Island to ‘bikepackers’
A new 1,000 km bikepacking route between small communities on northern Vancouver Island has just been unveiled, opening the region to a slower, more immersive form of tourism and bringing economic opportunities to the area.
Miles Arbor is part of the team at Bikepacking.com, a go-to resource for the sport. Arbor describes bikepacking as a “mix between lightweight backpacking and off-road cycling.”
Investigative feature: Digging Through the Trash
“Would you like a fork with your food?”
She smiled as she handed me my takeout box holding a piece of chocolate cake I purchased at an event on Salt Spring Island. “It’s compostable, so you don’t have to feel bad.”
Island Cycling
I rode off the ferry dock in Sturdies Bay on Galiano Island with a vague plan. I was aiming to explore Galiano by bike, but first I wanted to find a beach somewhere and sit to have a cup of coffee.
Take Care, Ride Slowly: The First Annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler
I was leading the pack towards the tail end of the first annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler on Vancouver Island. We were riding through the last singletrack section of the 90-ish km ride, and only I knew what was coming. After a quick 90-degree turn off the main trail, the forest opened up into a powerline clearing with about a half-kilometer descent. I heard behind me someone say “Oh shit, here we go!” and then all 15 of my fellow riders started hooting and hollering. I let go of the brakes and took off, reassured that the experience I’d been planning for the better part of a year had ended up being exactly what I hoped for.
To Feed a Community
It doesn't look like much in the spring, but soon enough, the wet and muddy fields in the shadow of Mount Maxwell will be bursting with enough food to feed a community.
What does the nearly $10 million RCMP contract get the people of Campbell River?
Despite discussion around police funding, response techniques and use of force, the City of Campbell River is on track to spend just over $9 million on the RCMP in 2020.
Profiles
Pulling Through The Pain
Bonnie Reynolds was nowhere to be found.
The team from Salt Spring was competing in the 2018 Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association’s national competition in St. Catharines, Ont. when Reynolds, one of the senior girls on the team, disappeared somewhere on Henley Island. The small island holds nothing but the St. Catharines Rowing Club, and a small grove of trees. Eventually, with help from team members, coach Stacy Mitchell was able to track Reynolds down.
Bumblebee-ing Through Life
When Katie Lavoie was a kid, you could probably find her outside looking for caterpillars.
She grew up in Manitoba, just east of Winnipeg. It was the warm summer days on the prairie that helped inspire her curiosity and love for nature and the outdoors.
Photo by Marissa Tiel
Island Group Buzzes With Activity
A Salt Spring-based non-profit group is working to promote resilience, sustainability and development by building a beekeeping and permaculture collective in Haiti.
In late 2012, David MacDonald and Brian Coombs travelled to Haiti to help with relief efforts following the 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean country. While their first trip was to help deliver food to those in need, they would return with a way to have a more lasting impact on both the people and the environment in Haiti.
Thomas Hutlet
"In the end, what it comes down to is attitude. Hutlet has never let his success get to him and has stayed humble throughout his growth in the industry and the Central Alberta music scene."
Photo by Crow Quill Productions
news
Family of slain Indigenous man confront RCMP in Campbell River
“Imagine what those three gunshots sounded like,” Laura Holland told Campbell River RCMP members on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’ll never see him again,” she continued. “I’ll never see my son’s face again.”
“The next time, we’re going to be so loud that Canada will never kill another Indigenous person… we’re not going to back down.”
This story won the 2022 BCYCNA Award for Best Spot News Photo
Old growth forest counter-rallies converge on the streets of Campbell River
Both sides of the old growth logging issue came to a head in Campbell River on Thursday morning.
What was originally going to be a small demonstration against logging old growth in solidarity with the campers at Fairy Creek, expanded as a counter-protest of pro-forest industry supporters who came out in numbers.
Islanders Rally Against Kinder Morgan Project
A healthy-sized crowd of Salt Spring Islanders gathered in Centennial Park on Friday to add their voices to those opposed to the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project.
Bute Inlet slide was equal to mass of every car in Canada
Imagine what it would be like if every car in Canada were to careen uncontrollably down a mountain, through a narrow corridor and into the ocean.
That’s approximately what the mass of rock that fell into Elliot Lake, turning a small creek above Bute Inlet into a raging torrent, equated to, according to a new report from researchers on the November 2020 Bute Inlet landslide. According to the paper, roughly 18 million cubic metres of rock descended 1,000 metres into a glacial lake at the head of Elliot Creek in the traditional territory of the Homalco First Nation. The landslide had a mass of 50 million tonnes — equal to the combined mass of every car in the country — and caused a 100 metre Tsunami in a small lake, and sent pretty much everything down the valley to the ocean.
Photo courtesy Hakai Institute
Housing Advocates Rally At Trust Office
Over 100 people gathered at the Islands Trust office on Friday morning to speak out about the ongoing housing crisis on Salt Spring.
OPINION
We all can and should do more
On Saturday I was covering the Earth Day celebrations at the Beaver Lodge Lands.
As I was leaving, Chuck DeSorcy from Greenways Land Trust asked me what my Earth Day Pledge was. I was kind of caught unawares, not really sure what I could do to make an impact toward climate change.
I consider myself quite “with it” when it comes to climate change action. I divert 90 per cent of my waste to recycling and compost — the only “garbage” I throw out is when I empty the vacuum, since I can’t be sure there are no microplastics in the dust. I use only hydroelectric power, which can be said for most British Columbians since BC Hydro is our major electricity provider. I thrift more than I shop new, and when I do shop new I make sure to do it from local businesses. I hold on to electronics and other high-value items long after they expire, and when my ancient technology bites the dust I try as hard as I can to replace them with used items. I do not eat meat, and am phasing out other animal products. I have taken my money out of banks that fund fossil fuel exploration. I garden, compost and try to return carbon to the soil through those kinds of methods. I try not to fly, and when I do I purchase carbon offsets for the flight.
Look to science fiction to learn how to save the world
We’re living in the world that science fiction created.
Looking around my desk, I can see at least five things that came from science fiction books, and I’m not even trying that hard. Cell phones (Star Trek) and artificial intelligence (Erewhon), Tablets (2001: A Space Odyssey) and self-driving cars (Total Recall), all have their origins in the imaginations of writers. It makes sense that we look to these imaginative worlds and try to re-create some of the technology therein. I think that we should take a look at things that are a bit more boring, but could make a really big impact on our future.
Yes I do have something in mind.
Having good bike infrastructure does wonders for a community
For the first time, I felt safe leaving my bike downtown. There was a sense of ease, of confidence and trust that just never really happened when I rode downtown before.
So I was elated to hear that Campbell River would be having a similar program this summer for events and farmers markets downtown.
Why I unfollowed 500 social media accounts this month
This month I did an experiment.
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’ve been disappearing into my phone for longer and longer periods, endlessly scrolling Instagram and Reddit (I don’t have Facebook) and it wasn’t doing me any good. I’d be scrolling while doing chores around the house, during the small amount of time I have off with my wife and even right before bed I’d be crouched over by the charger flipping past dumb videos. It was pretty bad.
I wanted to do something about it.
Three books, plus a few more, I read in the last year
I have about half an hour of a commute in the mornings.
Most of the time I put on a podcast for the drive, and one of my favourites has been the Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion. While I’m always interested in what his guests have to say, one of the things I like most about it is that the last question he asks is: what are three books that inspire you?
So now, for my last column of the year I am going to answer that question.
It’s time to stop pretending
On June 15, the Strathcona Regional District was discussing funding for renovations to the Strathcona Gardens pool when one of the directors said something that stood out to me.
At the end of the discussion, Cortes Island director Noba Anderson said this: “of all the things we’re going to borrow millions and millions of dollars for when the planet’s on fire, this is a pretty status quo, systems-normal thing to be doing. I find it increasingly difficult to be pretending that the world is normal when it is not.”
Anderson did say that she would agree with anything put forward by the Strathcona Gardens Committee and she technically didn’t have a vote in the matter, but I really appreciate that she actually said something.
Photography
News
News photography is the most important job for a photojournalist. The photos must clearly add to the story and must convey information to the reader while being creative and proficient. Photojournalism to me is one of the most exciting and enticing forms of journalism, and creating beautiful visuals is a large part of what I try to do.
Features
Feature photography is where the photographer can extend themselves and explore more creative ways of storytelling. Features allow me to get deeper with my subject, whether that is an event, person or issue.
Sports
Good sports photos can transform the story. A game report with a photo of a team hard at work on the field can bring the audience deeper into the story, giving them more than simple words can.
Portrait
Portraits are personal and deep expressions of individuality. They explore who the subject is by giving them context, and show a side of the person that goes beyond the text.
Photo Essay
Photo essays are among photojournalists' most exciting tools. They bring the viewer along for a ride, guiding them through the various scenes and images in a person's life and showing them the truth behind the subject in a way single images cannot.
These shots are from a photo essay detailling the life of a farmer in the pre-season preparation phase. As soon as the snow begins to melt, farmers are getting ready for the long growing season by preparing equipment, selling last year's grain, visiting auction sales and doing everything they can to be ready for seeding.
Street
The street is a photographer's best friend. Many amazing photos of the 20th and 21st centuries come from the streets. The sheer diversity of street scenes adds to the mystery and excitement of going out and shooting.
Film
As I was discovering photography, my family took a roadtrip down to the United States. All I had was a 35mm SLR camera and I used around 10 rolls of film throughout the trip.
Multimedia
Dan Mangan: Live at Fulford Hall
On January 20, 2018, Dan Mangan and Gordon Grdina played an intimate show for Salt Spring Island. It was Mangan’s second time playing on the island, where he has family ties. The show was wonderfully laid back, letting Mangan’s songwriting and Grdina’s musical talent shine through.
Investigative feature: No Direction Home: The Faces of the Housing Crisis on Salt Spring Island
The island is in the middle of a housing crisis that is severely affecting the lower and middle class population. Working people with families are living in housing limbo and are being forced to leave the island they love while housing projects stagnate in bureaucracy. Rising property prices are not helping the situation and a 0% vacancy rate is preventing working class people from finding homes even on a temporary basis. This crisis is hollowing out the island by limiting the housing options for people who provide essential services and who make up the backbone of the community.
This story won silver in the 2019 BCYCNA Multimedia Feature category
Windstorm Map
The massive wind storm caused damage all over Salt Spring. Photos from across the island are mapped below, with more detailed photos in the slideshow.