Dr. John Culliney, co-author of "A Native Hawaiian Garden," will conduct a plant tour tomorrow at Kawainui Marsh, covering its botanical history and changes in its landscape vegetation.

The tour will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The tour will include site visits to an ancient taro terrace, a dry land forest and a marsh ecosystem restoration project.

Culliney, a professor of ecology at Hawai'i Pacific University, also will discuss propagation methods and planting at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine.

The tour is limited to 20 participants.

Members of the Kawai Nui Heritage Foundation, Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club and Ahahui Malama I Ka Lokahi are asked to contribute $3, while nonmembers should contribute $5.

To sign up for the tour or for more information, contact Chuck Burrows at 595-3922 or cburrow@aloha.net.

CENTRAL

Park improves its playcourt

The city has begun improvements at Salt Lake District Park to convert a volleyball court into a multi-use playcourt.

Contractor Namba Construction is installing the support poles for the basketball hoops and expects the backboards to arrive from the Mainland in early February.

Installation for the $13,396 project is expected to take about 1› weeks, and the court should be ready for use around the third week of February.

Health fair for children

A children's health fair will be held today at Moanalua Elementary School.

Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Tripler Army Medical Center Health Education and Promotion Office is sponsoring the event for students. It will include exhibits and information booths on personal hygiene, dietary habits, first aid and skin care.

The school also will hold a health run/obstacle course to emphasize physical fitness, said teacher and event coordinator Jeff Wong.

HONOLULU

Flu may have reached peak

State health officials are hoping that the flu season may have peaked last month.

But Tracy Ayers, the health department's influenza surveillance coordinator, said a flu shot is still a good idea. Last year, the season peaked in March.

"It is so unpredictable, you never know," she said. "It is still circulating. If you haven't gotten the flu yet, you still might."

Because Hawai'i has a tropical climate, flu cases are reported year-round, she said, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the flu season to run from October to May.

Senate OKs comptroller

The Senate yesterday approved former state Transportation Deputy Director Glenn Okimoto as state comptroller of the Department of Accounting and General Services.

Okimoto replaces Wayne Kimura, who was recently appointed to the Public Utilities Commission by Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Okimoto's term ends Dec. 2. He has worked in the state Transportation Department for 20 years as a program evaluation analyst manager, an economist, and as a deputy director for the last seven years.

He previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Hawai'i's Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

"Mr. Okimoto has an impeccable academic background, which he followed with a dedicated career of public service in Hawai'i," said Senate Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations Committee Chairman.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Preferred land use on agenda

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has scheduled four public meetings next week to review recommendations by planning consultant PBR Hawai'i on preferred land uses over the next 20 years of 116,900 acres of home lands on the Big Island.

Anyone interested in learning how the lands will be used in the department's "Hawai'i Island Plan" is encouraged to attend one of the planned 6:30-8:30 p.m. meetings at the following locations:

• Monday at Na'aleu Elementary School cafeteria in Ka'u.

• Tuesday at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo's Campus Center.

• Wednesday at DHHL's Kuhio Hale in Waimea.

• Thursday at Kealakehe High School cafeteria in Kona.

For more information, call Joe Chu in Honolulu at 587-6421 or DHHL's Big Island offices in East Hawai'i (974-4250) or West Hawai'i (887-6053).