BUTTE — Parked off a curve along a winding dirt road North of Butte, the Butte-Silver Bow County sheriff exits his vehicle and gestures toward a sweeping landscape where he and other law enforcement have been busting up underage drinking parties for years.
In the memory of some, parties in the woods might bring back silly memories of dodging cops before catching an MIP, a ticket that is given to kids caught with booze.
For others, the parties they once attended in the woods might bring memories of sadness.
WATCH: Butte-Silver Bow County Sheriff and local nonprofit collaborate to raise awareness about underage drinking dangers
Sheriff Lester recalls friends who passed away in the 1980's from car accidents involving keggers.
In remote areas like this one, a dangerous cultural phenomenon for Montana kids lingers, and as graduation season approaches, Sheriff Ed Lester and a local nonprofit are working to raise awareness in order to deter this risky behavior.
"When you look at Butte...when you look at Montana as a whole, alcohol has always been ingrained in our history in one form or another, and so sometimes changing what that cultural norm is, it takes a really long time," Brittany Masters said.
Masters works as a prevention specialist with her baby, Freddie, who she calls "my protege in training," are in her office at a Butte-based nonprofit that operates under the Montana Prevention and Wellness organization. Masters says providing education on how the brain develops can change attitudes about underage drinking.
"When (teens) take alcohol, it stops their brain from developing in the way that it should," Masters said.
A CDC survey shows that Montana teens have reported higher rates of alcohol consumption than their peers in other states. In 2023, across the USA, 21.1% of teens self-reported drinking alcohol, while 26.2% of Montana teens reported drinking alcohol.
Aside from impacting the developing brain, Butte's Sheriff says drinking in the woods presents other dangers.
"Handling firearms sometimes is an issue when kids are out in this area, of course, getting stuck in vehicles, and trying to push 'em out....we've had people roll their vehicles over," Sheriff Ed Lester said.
Lester says remote areas may not have cell coverage, making emergency response times longer. Other issues like drinking and driving, fist fights, and sexual violence are dangers that law enforcement has dealt with for years.
"This is something we've faced for years and years, and we're coming up on that time of the year as graduation approaches, we want to make sure that people are safe. We want to stress that if you're aware of a party that is occurring, let us know, even if it's in a different county. We'll get that information where it needs to be," Lester said.
