Mike Handley remembers trying to access the Connoquenessing Creek a decade ago to take a float down the scenic waterway in his kayak.

“You had to pull over at a bridge and climb down over rocks and weeds,” said Handley, who is now president of the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance. “It was a real pain.”

After forming the alliance and coordinating the first Connoquenessing Creek Cleanup nine years ago, Handley and other alliance board members wanted others to discover the beauty and serenity of floating on the creek.

So, Handley approached officials at Penn Township about using empty land off Meridian Road in Renfrew to install a canoe and kayak launch.

“We just looked at that piece of property and thought it would be a nice place to put a launch,” Handley recalled.

Since that time, the alliance has installed eight other canoe and kayak launches along the “Connie,” so paddling enthusiasts can easily get in and out of the creek.

All of the nine launches are mowed and trimmed and have large stone steps down to the water, trash and recycling receptacles, a picnic table, a community signboard and a fishing line recycling receptacle.

Members of the alliance board of directors maintain the launches, Handley said.

The locations of the launches, which extend through Butler and Beaver counties and into Ellwood City, Lawrence County, are positioned to allow paddlers a short float of less than two hours or a trip that would take two days.

The first two launches, which are in Renfrew and on Ash Stop Road in Forward Township, were installed in 2014.

One or more launches have been completed by the alliance every year since then, Handley said.

Alliance members also had the idea to name the launches according to various factors.

The launch on Ash Stop Road was named the Major Washington launch in honor of an event that nearly altered the course of democracy in the very young United States.

In an area historians say is near the launch, a Native American guide was leading Major George Washington, then in the service of the British, and Christopher Gist to the Allegheny River. Unexpectedly, the guide turned and fired a musket round at Washington.

Washington was uninjured. While Gist wanted to kill the Native American on the spot, Washington insisted he be released to return to his village, which the shooter said was “two yelps away.”

Other launches include one off Halstead Boulevard in Zelienople known as the Wild Waterways launch in honor of the Wild Waterways Conservancy and its mission to protect and enhance the natural resources of the Connoquenessing and Slippery Rock watersheds.

The Eckstein launch on Eckstein Road off Reibold Road in Forward Township is named for the family that donated the piece of land for the launch.

Christian's Launch in Fombell, Beaver County, is named for Christian Meeder, who raised money as a high school student to put a bench at the launch. He also built two bat boxes at the location.

Nathaniel's Launch in Ellwood City, which is the launch most recently installed by the alliance, is named for the grandson of the woman who donated the land for the launch.

The Allegheny Aquatic Alliance launch, also in Ellwood City, honors the work of the individuals who give up their free time and weekends to ensure the Connie continues as an outdoor recreation venue for residents and visitors as well as those who simply enjoy the launches by playing with their dogs or fishing.

Handley said the first order of business in installing a launch is securing funding. He has worked extensively with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which has a grant program for putting in natural canoe and kayak accesses along local waterways.

“That's the first step,” Handley said.

Next is securing the necessary permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and state Department of Environmental Protection.

The Army Corps has stringent requirements regarding the impact on a waterway of any project, whether a large structure or the sandstone steps installed by the alliance that meet the creek's edge.

“Since we're usually putting one stone in the water, it's pretty easy to get approved,” Handley said.

He said securing permits from the two organizations can take up to six months in some cases.

The alliance then asks the township in which the launches are being installed to use its heavy equipment and an operator to install the huge stones.

The machinery is used to excavate the area where the stones will be laid, then to place the stones in the correct spot.

Penn, Forward and Jackson townships in Butler County have helped the alliance install launches along the Connie over the past six years, Handley said.

“That can save us a couple thousand dollars,” he said of the townships' help.

In the last three launch projects, Handley said MMC Land Management donated the heavy equipment and an operator to excavate and carefully place the stones.

Alliance board members complete the task of cutting the stones to fit and they also help guide them into place as the heavy equipment operator lowers the stones on a cable.

Once the stones are set, Handley builds a community message board to advertise alliance and other events.

Alliance board member James “Rip” Davis then fashions the letters necessary to add the name of the launch to the message board.

A picnic bench, fishing line receptacles, and trash and recycling cans are also added to the nearly completed launch.

“They are stone picnic benches that are resistant to floods,” Handley said.

He said a few launches, such as Renfrew, have raw timber picnic benches that have deteriorated over the years due to flooding.

“They are redoing them with stone now,” Handley said.

Alliance members then mow and trim the launches, and a grand opening celebration including free food, speakers and music is scheduled.

“There are a ton of volunteer hours that go into building these launches,” Handley said.

He was thrilled this spring to see multiple cars at almost every launch. Handley figures the creek is being used by four to five times more paddlers than in previous years.

“This year, with the COVID-19, people are floating like crazy,” he said.

But with more people comes more trash, which can often be found on the ground near a full trash can at a launch.

Handley said volunteers have trouble keeping up with emptying the bins when the launches are highly used. He asks paddlers to take their trash with them if the garbage and recycle cans are full.

“Please just be respectful because we want these launches to look nice and pristine for everyone to enjoy,” he said.

The launches are also very helpful during the alliance's two annual Connoquenessing Creek Cleanup events, in which volunteers pull trash and debris from the creek.

“In the upcoming cleanup on Aug. 29, we're using five of the launches,” Handley said.

Volunteers who load tires and trash into canoes and on boats during the cleanup bring the loaded boats to the launches and other accesses along the creek, where still other volunteers place it in trailers and truck beds for transport to the dump site.

Handley said tires are laid on the ground in rows, metal is placed in a special Dumpster for recycling, and trash goes in yet another Dumpster.

“Our goal is to recycle everything we possibly can so it all doesn't go to a landfill,” he said.

The local volunteer fire companies hose down the filthy, muddy tires, which are then retrieved by Bridgestone for recycling.

“They have been fantastic about helping us with the tires,” Handley said.

All are invited to participate in the cleanup events on Aug. 29 and Sept. 12.