The battle over the Lynn Canal and the proposed “Juneau Road” has galvanized communities throughout Alaska’s “southeast.” Leading the charge in support of the road has been Citizens Pro-Road, a grass-roots group fighting to see the road become reality.

In this exclusive interview from the upcoming documentary “Blue Highway”, Dick Knapp, head of Citizens Pro-Road, discusses the arguments for and against the “Juneau Access Road.”

May 27th, 2009

AIL, Colo. – May 26, 2009 – Stretching ninety miles along Alaska’s Inside Passage, the Lynn Canal is North America’s deepest fjord. Its waters were the lifeblood of the Klondike Gold Rush, and now offer visitors a window into the wild that defines Alaska. The Lynn Canal also ties the people of Alaska’s Southeast together. It is their highway.

But for more than three decades, the fight over a proposed highway, a land-based road running alongside the Canal, has divided communities and left the future of the Lynn Canal in doubt.

On Friday, Jun. 5 at 8 p.m., Costa Del Mar® will debut its documentary film Blue Highway as part of the Outdoor Reels Series at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail. The movie begins as a film about a kayak trip tracing the historic Lynn Canal travels of John Muir, but becomes a study of both sides of the battle over the proposed Juneau Access Road

To be held at the Lodge at Vail, the Blue Highway film premiere is a free event for Teva Mountain Games attendees, and all are invited to screen the movie that asks the questions, “After more than three decades of debate, is there anything left to say? Can two sides separated by environmental, economic and cultural concerns ever come together?”

“Blue Highway shows you both sides of the proposed Juneau road building issue, and asks the viewers to decide for themselves which side they’re on,” said Al Perkinson, VP of Marketing for Costa Del Mar. “The project is still in the planning stages, which means the Alaskan people have the opportunity to let their legislature and Governor Palin’s administration know how they want this issue to play out. And we have the chance to educate the rest of the country about an important issue that’s happening in one of the most pristine states in the Union.”