The camping area at Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area in 'Aiea has been closed and will remain so for up to two months during construction work to improve accessibility to the campground, picnic areas and their parking lots, and construction of septic tanks in the camping and upper picnic areas.

Peter Young, Department of Land and Natural Resources chairman, said the upper picnic area will remain open but that excavation and construction work will impose some inconvenience and noise during the construction period.

DLNR will reopen the camping area as soon as public safety from construction activity can be assured.

The $277,979 accessibility project and the wastewater improvement project is contracted to BCP Construction of Hawaii.

COAST GUARD AIDS TROUBLED BOAT

A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Barbers Point yesterday dropped desalination pumps and 40 gallons of fresh water to a sailing vessel 500 miles north of Hilo.

The desalination pump makes seawater drinkable.

The Coast Guard received notification that the sailing vessel Onrust reported having only one gallon of water aboard with a three-person crew and five days remaining in their voyage to Hilo. The vessel stayed in contact with the Coast Guard until the drop was made.

$5 MILLION EASTER SEALS FACILITY COMING

Easter Seals Hawai'i will break ground July 6 for its new $5.4 million facility in Makakilo. The 20,000-square-foot facility on 3.8 acres will be called Napuakea, meaning "the white flowers." It will be a multiple-use center that will serve infants, children, youths and adults.

"This is going to fill a tremendous need that we're seeing in West O'ahu," said Bellie Gabriel, vice president of affairs for Easter Seals Hawai'i. The center is projected to serve 15,000 people a year, Gabriel said.

Easter Seals is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and services to people with disabilities.

FISHING COURSE BEGINS MONDAY

A two-week summer class on fishing sustainability in Hawai'i will run Monday through June 30 at Moanalua High School. The class will meet 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

The course is geared to high school students and recent graduates. The course will involve such topics as alien species, aquaculture and stock assessment, cultural and traditional fisheries, ecosystem-based management, fish identification, biology and habitats.

The course fee is $150. The class is sponsored by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. For more information or to sign up, call Erron Yoshioka at 227-8493. Grants based on need and merit may be available.

BRUSHFIRE CHARS SCHOFIELD RANGE

A fire burned about 10 acres of brush at a Schofield Barracks firing range yesterday, the Army said. The cause was being investigated, an official said.

A contracted helicopter and a helicopter from Marine Corps base at Kane'ohe Bay dropped water on the fire. At about 4 p.m. the fire was still burning, but had been contained and was not spreading, an Army official said.

HAWAIIAN NATION TOPIC OF SUMMIT

Creating an educational system for a Hawaiian nation is the topic of the two-day Native Hawaiian Education Summit that begins today at the Chaminade University campus.

More than 150 people are expected to attend the summit sponsored by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and Chaminade. The summit convenes at 3:30 p.m. today.

This weekend's summit is the first of four designed to address the issue. For information, call the Hawai'i Maoli office at 394-0050.

COAST GUARD TO CONDUCT EXERCISES

A California Coast Guard unit will conduct a joint exercise with counterparts from Ho-nolulu today through Sunday in Kane'ohe Bay and off the coast of Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo.

Port Security Unit 311, with Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu, will conduct convoy operations, escort service, setting security zones and other port security and harbor defense measures.

The exercises, which will continue through the night, will include the use of flares and blank rounds.

SENATE APPROVES $13.5 MILLION AID BILL

The U.S. Senate yesterday passed an emergency appropriations bill that includes $13.5 million in storm-related assistance for Kaua'i and O'ahu. It was the bill's final legislative hurdle, Sen. Daniel Inouye said.

The bulk of the money, $11.5 million, is designated for repairs to Kuhio Highway on Kaua'i and to roads on O'ahu.

The bill also includes $2 million for inspections of certain dams and reservoirs that may have been damaged or weakened by the heavy spring rains. Kaua'i's Alexander Dam and O'ahu's Nu'uanu and Wahiawa dams will be included in the dam safety analysis.

In another development, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration have approved $1.8 million in grants or loans to residents and businesses that suffered storm-related damage this spring.