FEMALE International Athlete of the Year and world champion hurdler Sally Pearson will compete at this Saturday's Gippsland Gift.
More than 700 competitors are expected for the sporting carnival at the Traralgon Recreation Reserve.
Latrobe City Mayor Cr Ed Vermeulen said the event was an economic boost for the region.
"The Gift will showcase elite athletes and provide the local and wider community with the opportunity to see top-quality sporting events in action," he said.
Pearson will run the 120m Gift for Women, while other races include the 120m Gift for Men, the quickest footballer and netballer in Gippsland, novice, junior and little athletics races.
Fire-damaged alpine trees get the chop
TREES killed in fires within the Falls Creek Alpine Resort boundary will be cut down using equipment from a helicopter.
Work to remove several hundred alpine ash trees along a 4.5km stretch of Bogong High Plains Rd between the Falls Creek village and the resort boundary at Howman's Gap began yesterday.
The trees will be cut progressively from the crown, with the timber placed on the forest floor. People travelling to and from the resort are warned there could be delays on the road due to the work and to allow extra time in planning their trips.
Falls Creek Resort Management chief executive David Hermannts said the work would reduce the risk of the trees falling.
"Removal of the trees by helicopter is the safest and most economical method available," he said.
"It is also a fascinating spectacle to watch."
The project is being run by the resort, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and VicRoads. The work is expected to be complete by tomorrow.
Milking the emotions for the benefit of our future
THE Great South West Dairy Awards will return in 2012 with a new focus on environmentally sustainable farming practices.
The Natural Resource Management Award will be expanded to recognise the Natural Resource and Sustainability Manager of the Year.
The awards, which are in their seventh year, will be presented at Glenormiston College on April 26.
Project manager Barb Collins said the awards had been expanded to recognise the importance of environmentally sustainable dairy farms.
Nominations open in January 15 and close on February 17.
Rising level tipped to be a shore thing by Christmas
WATER is being returned to Craigmuir Lake after the lake was lowered earlier this year to allow for works on the corner of Kalimna Drive and Echuca Rd.
Greater Shepparton City Council recreation team leader Colin Gleeson said it would take between three and four months to refill the lake.
"Residents will gradually see an increase in the water level," he said. But he added: "The infrastructure limits the rate that the water can be put into the lake.
"The raw water main is used to supply other facilities, so interruptions to the fill may occur as demand for water on the main varies.
"But residents will certainly notice a difference in the visible water level by Christmas time," Mr Gleeson said.
