Three-time SCA Alum Chai Blair-Stahn (Photo Courtsey of Chai Blair-Stahn)
Chai Blair-Stahn developed a deep connection to the natural world through camping trips with his family as a child and the diverse landscapes he experienced growing up, including California, South Dakota and Arizona.
In high school, his history teacher, Jefferson Stensrud, spoke about the Civilian Conservation Corps’ legacy and introduced students to opportunities such as the SCA. That conversation led Chai to volunteer as a crew member at Pinnacles National Monument in California during the summer of 2001.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Chai returned to the SCA as a backcountry Crew Leader in Payette National Forest, Idaho, in 2006. Living in such a remote setting for an extended period of time was unlike anything he had experienced before, from taking bucket baths to feeling completely removed from the distractions of everyday life.
In 2019, he returned as a backcountry Crew Leader at Olympic National Park in Washington. One of Chai’s favorite memories from his time on the Olympic Peninsula was returning to camp each evening and jumping into the nearby river with the crew after a full day of work. On both crews, he guided members through critical work for our parks and unforgettable backpacking trips to stunning mountain landscapes.
Outside his SCA service, Chai moved to Hawaiʻi in 2009 to pursue his master’s degree, where he discovered a passion for teaching youth and helping them build connections with the land through Hawaiian culture. Whether leading nature programs, teaching Pacific Islands Studies classes, or participating in Hawaiian culture through dance, he encourages others to find that sense of wonder and commitment to stewardship for the places they love.
“Stewardship is a continuum, something that is passed on, and we are all connected to our environment,” he said. “It is bigger than just one person. It is not about any of us individually, but about all of us, because we all depend on nature.”
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