Conservation officers will be cracking down on underage drinking at ice fishing houses in the Brainerd lakes area over the holiday season.

"Some of our fish shelter communities turn into underage party spots," said Lt. Tom Provost, Department of Natural Resources enforcement supervisor. Three Brainerd-area conservation officers will patrol areas where underage drinking has occurred, including Rice, Gull and Pelican lakes "and anywhere else we hear it's happening," he said.

The DNR is using a grant from the Minnesota Institute of Public Health to pay for the patrols. Similar efforts are set for the spring and summer.

Provost noted that adults who allow or assist underage drinking face criminal and civil liabilities.

DOUG SMITH