Chianelli to end run as local warden
SANDERS COUNTY – After over ten years as Region One’s Game Warden, Tom Chianelli is stepping away from the position and transferring over to Missoula County.
“I worked with and got to know some tremendous people here. It was a very difficult decision,” Chianelli said. “I sure agonized over it, making sure it was the right thing to do.”
After mulling it over for some time, Chianelli decided it was his time to apply for the Missoula position. There he will be working with a team of wardens, which operate right out of Missoula.
The position has become available a handful of times during his years in Region One, but Chianelli never felt the time was right. This time he decided to go for it and came out on top with the job in hand.
The job was offered to Chianelli in January, although he will remain in Region One until the beginning of June.
He looks forward to his new position and said it will be nice to work with more resources. Along with that, there are more opportunities for his wife and his son in Missoula.
“It’s not that I’m sick of this area, but just a little bit of a change,” Chianelli said. “I’ve never worked out of a bigger town, a bigger office with more resources to help me.”
In Region One, Chianelli was the only warden on duty and the job spanned all hours of the day.
“The phone rings 24/7. It can be overwhelming and even frustrating at times,” Chianelli said.
But regardless of the amount of phone calls, Chianelli always answered his phone or promptly returned calls because he knew that was the best way to keep a good reputation in the area.
“You spend a lot of time developing trust and relationships in the communities and it’s not easy to walk away from that,” Chianelli said.
Although the decision to leave is final, Chianelli still believes this region is one of the best in Montana.
“This is probably one of the best warden districts in the state. There is year-round activity here from hunting, trapping, ice fishing, large predator conflicts, urban wildlife issues and lots of other duties,” Chianelli said. “You have the Lower Clark Fork River and its reservoirs with unique fishing opportunities that attract lots of folks from out of the area.”
Chianelli has been a game warden for 14 years in all, getting his start in Plentywood.
Originally from Illinois, Chianelli’s parents relocated to the Flathead area and he spent a lot of time in the area prior to moving here.
He attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. and received two bachelor’s degrees, one in wildlife management and the other in criminal justice. After working with Colorado State Parks, Chianelli later joined Wyoming Fish and Game as a warden where he trained for almost a year.
From there, the mountains and wilderness of Montana beckoned Chianelli back to the region.
“I like to fish and hunt and I love wildlife. That pretty much drew me here; the outdoor’s lifestyle,” Chianelli said.
Once he got to this area, Chianelli developed a massive amount of relationships that helped ensure he do the best at his job.
“I really enjoyed serving the communities and some of the extraordinary fish and wildlife resources we have here,” Chianelli explained. “Without those relationships and calls that come from it, a game warden’s job becomes very difficult.”
He said establishing the relationships he did within the community, with law enforcement and the other agencies in the county was crucial to him being successful and maintaining those relationships was important.
Throughout his time in the area, Chianelli has strived to live by the game warden motto of “give honest people the benefit of the doubt and hold no mercy for poachers and crooks.”
He had to be mindful of his actions on and off the job.
“(It’s important to) do your job, enforce the law, but do it in a fair and impartial manner, Treat people with courtesy and compassion,” Chianelli said.
Chianelli’s replacement will arrive at the beginning of June. Troy Hinck has been on with Fish, Wildlife and Parks for five years in Broadus. Originally from central Idaho in the mountains, Hinck has already undergone all the training he would need for the position.
“He’s chomping at the bit, he’s excited,” Chianelli said, explaining that Hinck is used to this kind of country.
Chianelli is grateful for his time in Region One and most importantly, he is grateful to the communities in the area.
“Always remember the most important aspect of the job is the people we work for, the sportsmen and women who pay for our fish and wildlife resources,” Chianelli said. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of people in the communities. I’ve developed a lot of great relationships, which in turn has allowed me to do my job and I sure appreciate that.”
This won’t be the last of him in the area. He knows the region well and plans to come back to the area to hunt from time to time.