Tonya

At 29 years of age, Tonya Bonitatibus is one of the two youngest people to ever hold the title of Savannah Riverkeeper -- and there’s a good reason why.

Having grown up in Augusta, Bonitatibus has nourished a relationship with this waterway from her formative years. “I grew up less than three miles away from the river. It’s always been a very integral part of my life. It’s just an ever strong presence,” she said.

As a child, Tonya kayaked on the Savannah River, fished it, and spent her summers exploring everything about it.

She and her family have even celebrated milestones on the Savannah. Bonitatibus recalls, “My husband and my first date was on the river, my parents got married on the river … to me it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in the world.”

Her personal history, so deeply interconnected with the river, is clearly one of the important driving forces behind her career. Her children -- Zeke, 5, and Cole, 3 -- are another such impetus. “I have a very strong desire to keep (the river) clean for my children. It’s in a bad way -- it needs to be cleaner, and my children deserve better than that,” she explained.

The young Riverkeeper’s interest in pursuing an environmentally-related career was also affected by time she spent in Asia. “I had lived in Taiwan and traveled around, and saw the condition of rivers, streams, people … I saw poverty at a new level, environmental destruction at a new level, and came back wanting to fight that so that we’ll never see that here. Their resources have been wasted away, and people are suffering. They survive off of the waterway and they have just destroyed it,” said Bonitatibus.

Educated at Augusta State University, Bonitatibus has a degree in business administration, with a specialty in marketing and biology. Of her choice of study, she explained, “It’s a very strange combination that somehow worked perfectly. I never thought in a million years that I’d use business with biology.”

Particularly inspiring for Bonitatibus during her college years was her ichthyology professor, Dr. Bruce Saul. “I had been going to school to be a veterinarian, but he told me not to do that, but to play with fish. He really helped me to understand that I didn’t want to be a vet; I wanted to be outdoors, and to make a difference in the world, or at least in small area.”

Bonitatibus intends to build on her passion for the river, and utilize her knowledge and experience, to make a positive impact as Savannah Riverkeeper.

She was promoted to her current position in October of 2009, after working in the capacity of Development Director for the Savannah Riverkeeper organization since 2007.

When asked how she felt to have become Riverkeeper so early on in her career, Bonitatibus answered, “I’m a little awestruck by it myself. I’m very humbled to have been put in this position. It weighs heavy on the shoulders … I’m supposed to speak for this (huge) river.”

So far, she says, the job has been challenging, but extremely rewarding. She credits the staff and hundreds of volunteers for doing their part to help ensure that the Savannah River becomes and stays a clean, healthy waterway.

As for the years ahead, Bonitatibus says, “One of the greatest things I look forward to in the future is just growing the organization and its influence over the watershed … the possibility of getting people of wide age ranges involved and remembering why we are here: we are here because of where the rivers are.”

Her favorite part of the job? “The days when I get to go and patrol and spend the days on the river, especially if I can take a fishing pole.” 

The congenial, good-humored environmentalist hopes to remain Savannah Riverkeeper for many years to come (“as long as the boys still like me,” she laughed).  “I absolutely love this river. I’m head over heels in love with it. If anything, I have the dedication to continue with it.”

Bonitatibus holds the Savannah Riverkeeper’s mantra, “It’s your river, protect it,” close to her heart. “It speaks really strongly to the way I try to live my life, and I hope to inspire others to do so.”