The body of a 52-year-old Lihu'e man was discovered at the bottom of 'Opaeka'a Falls yesterday morning.

Kaua'i police have not released the man's name.

Two visitors hiking in the area around 10:15 a.m. found the victim floating in the pool and called police.

Firefighters and the fire department helicopter responded to the call.

The man was airlifted to Wailua Homesteads Park, and from there he was taken by ambulance to Wilcox Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A cause of death was not immediately known, officials said.

8-ACRE WAI'ANAE BRUSH FIRE DOUSED

Firefighters yesterday extinguished a brush fire that charred eight acres in a gulch at the back of Wai'anae Valley, officials said.

The fire was reported at 3:30 p.m. and was contained by 4:10 p.m., Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said. The fire got within about 100 yards of the nearest home. No structures were burned and no one was injured, he said.

Firefighters were on scene for another couple of hours, Seelig said, putting out hot spots. Five engines and three tankers responded to the fire.

The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.

NONPROFIT HOSTING BENEFIT AT HE'EIA

Friends of Heeia is hosting a benefit concert and family day from noon to 8 p.m. July 12 at He'eia State Park in Kane'ohe, 46-465 Kamehameha Highway.

The day includes visits to a taro lo'i and coastal indigenous gardens, music, hula, clowns, face painting, arts and crafts, a silent auction, plant sale, food and drink.

The Friends of Heeia is a nonprofit, educational organization that has been providing programs about the natural and cultural heritage of the He'eia ahupua'a.

Proceeds of the event support programs for keiki to kupuna.

ENERGY-EFFICIENT BULBS HANDED OUT

Honolulu-based nonprofit group Blue Planet Foundation distributed nearly 500 energy-efficient lightbulbs to households door-to-door with the help of eight students in the Summer Youth Education Program.

The program began two weeks ago. Students distributed two free compact fluorescent light bulbs each to houses in Pauoa Valley, Punchbowl and Kaimuki along with a brochure on how to reduce residential energy bills.

"The best way to communicate with people is face-to-face, especially in Hawai'i," said Gary Gill, program director of Blue Planet.

The company hopes to distribute 5,000 more energy-efficient light bulbs through the program.

GRANT WILL HELP RENOVATE ORGAN

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded the Hawai'i Theatre Center a $10,000 grant to repair its 1922 Robert Morton orchestral organ.

The trust's Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors provided the seed grant.

"Although the organ has had regular volunteer maintenance over the years, it is showing its 87 years," Hawai'i Theatre President Sarah Richards said. "It is in need of a major overhaul, including repair and replacement of worn parts, so that it can continue to be a community treasure."

The trust's president, Richard Moe, said their grants often "trigger other preservation projects, further bolstering efforts to protect America's heritage."

'DEEP 7' FISHING SEASON CLOSING

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has announced a fishing season closure for so-called "Deep 7" bottomfish.

The ban is effective Monday through Aug. 31 in all state waters and covers commercial and noncommercial fishers.

The Deep 7 bottomfish species include onaga, opakapaka, ehu, kalekale, gindai, lehi and hapu'upu'u.

The Deep 7 and other bottomfish are managed by the state and federal governments.

Maps of the closed state marine waters, both seasonal Deep 7 closure and bottomfish restricted fishing areas, are available at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/regs/ch94rev3.pdf.