Alliance constructs new launch
Volunteers undertake project in Conno Creek
By Steve Ferris, Eagle Staff Writer
A good fishing hole in Connoquenessing Creek in Butler is now more accessible to anglers and others who enjoy canoeing or kayaking.
Volunteers from the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance spent the weekend building a canoe launch off Kittanning Street, which will be the seventh launch the nonprofit organization has constructed or renovated along the creek since it was founded in 2012.
“This is a hot fishing spot, I think this is going to be used for fishing,” said Mike Handley, alliance president. “Our goal is to have one every three-and-a-half to four miles to make it easier to get in and out.”
The newest launch will be named the Butler Outdoor Club Launch to honor the club for the many outdoor education programs and activities it has sponsored over the years.
A sign board bearing the name of the launch and a large stone picnic table with benches will be placed on the bank. Stone steps will form the path to the creekside landing. The launch will also have a fishing line recycling container and garbage and recycling cans.
“I've been hauling stone down here for three weeks now,” said Rip Davis, an alliance board member who was among the eight volunteers working at the launch Saturday. “This is by far the most stones we've needed on any access. Every time we do one we get a little better. It's a lot of work, but it's very fulfilling.”The land where the new launch and some of the others are located is owned by the Wild Waterways Conservancy and the launches are built with grant money from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Handley said.Renovating the launch in Zelienople is the next project on the list.Board members and volunteers said they enjoy working together on launches and that spirit is shared by the many volunteers who turn out for the alliance's annual creek cleanups, which are being held Aug. 24 and Sept. 7.In the seven years the Alliance has been holding cleanups, 450,000 pounds of trash have been removed from the waterway.“We're doing a 20 mile section from the city to Zelienople this year so we really want some volunteers to come help us,” Handley said.The alliance's annual Connie Q Canoe Trip, a 16-mile float trip for canoes and kayaks, is set June 8 and 9.“Our goal is to make people aware of nature and the environment, and to help them get out and enjoy nature,” Handley said.The creek has come a long way since 2000 when it was rated as the second- most polluted waterway in the state, he said.“It is night and day different,” Handley said.The fish population has doubled, 28 species of clean-water reliant mussels reside in the creek, soft-shell turtles are common sights and birds are frequent visitors, he said.
