John George, along with his dog, Logan, participates Saturday, July 20, 2019, in the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance's second annual canoe/kayak race on the Connoquenessing Creek. The 7.5-mile race began along Porter's Cove Road near Harmony and finished in Fombell at Christian's Canoe Launch.

Butler County has two waterways in the running for the 2020 River of the Year Award.

Buffalo Creek was nominated by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania and Connoquenessing Creek was submitted by Allegheny Aquatic Alliance. The waterways were selected along with Brandywine Creek, southeastern Pennsylvania; Lackawanna River, northeastern Pennsylvania; and Ohio River, which runs through Pittsburgh.

Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Trail, said having two waterways nominated gives some good exposure for the streams and the county.

Online voting for the award started Monday and lasts until Jan. 17. The selection process is overseen by the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.