Free Ice Cream Cones For Young Boaters

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What do ice cream cones and life jackets have in common? Not much unless you were a youngster boating on Montana’s waterways this summer. Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary teamed up with McDonald’s to hand out coupons for a free ice cream cone to young boaters caught wearing their life jackets. Montana law requires youth under 12 years of age to wear a life jacket when boating. The McDonald’s coupons were awarded to anyone 16 years of age and under found wearing a life jacket. Barry Cummings, FWP Water Safety Officer for southwest Montana, enjoyed handing out the ice cream cone coupons. "This shows kids that we want to reward them for being safe," says Cummings. "The kids and the parents love them. Even when I had to write a ticket for a violation, the adults were grateful the kids received a coupon." "Each year there are boating fatalities that might have been prevented had the victim been wearing a life jacket," said Liz Lodman, Boat Education Coordinator for FWP. "Teaching youth the value of wearing a life jacket will hopefully make them safer boaters as adults." FWP wardens and auxiliarists gave away 10,000 coupons between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The coupons are good at any McDonald’s restaurant in the state.