Some officers with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will work overtime tonight at Clinton Wildlife Area in an effort to prevent underage drinking.

Statewide, the department has received a grant of about $10,000 from the Kansas Department of Transportation to boost patrols on weekends as the school year comes to a close, said Rob Ladner, a supervisor for law enforcement for the wildlife department.

Ladner said that rural wildlife areas traditionally tended to draw gatherings of teens for parties. The extra patrol hours also will allow the officers to try to prevent drunken driving, littering and vandalism at the parks, he said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers instituted an alcohol ban on Bloomington East Beach at Clinton Lake last week, and state officers will be enforcing the alcohol ban now in effect at the Shawnee State Lake, Ladner said.