A considerable part of the Kurpie Plain, a part of Międzyrzecze Łomżyńskie and the Valley of the Low Narew River are situated within the borders of the Ostrołęka county. The county is situated within Green Lungs of Poland. Which lacks heavy industry which would pollucte the environment. Instead, the region is densly wooded. Forests, which are the remains of the former primaveal forest, occupy 1/3 of the area of the Ostrołęka county. Because of deforestation, the thick patches of the virgin forest are the things of the past. However, reafforestation has been conducted regularly for over 150 years. The Northern past of the ncounty covered with once immense Green Forest. Nowadays the forest spreads over the area of 500sqkm. The forest growing there may be: mixed forest, pine - spruce forest or pure pine one. Additionally, there occur the oak, hornbeam, birch and asp. The juniper, mountain-ash and hazel are also relatively popular. Alder and birch forest is predominant in roet areas. In the undergrowth you can find the lily of the valley, wild strawberry, bilberry and red berry, heather and many other species of grass, forest flowers, moss and fern. The dunes add ariety to the plain Kurpie landscape. They heap on the narrow strips of land among the rivers: the Turośl, Szkwa, Rozoga, Omulew and Orzyc. The dunes were formed from sludge from rivers rising in the glacier once covering the area of northern parts of today's Poland. The Narew River, flows through the county. It used to be on important communication trace. At present, the water track leading from Warsaw to Mazury is used by sailors and canoeists. In the Mazurian lakes the Omulew, Rozoga and

Szkwa rivers rise. They flow parallel to each other supplying the Narew River. Apart from rivers and streams, there are numerous small reservoirs of stagnant water: old river-beds and swamps, called 'pulwa', 'chruściel' or 'biela' in the local dialect. The swamp Karaska in the Kadzidło district is the biggest and best known one. Lake Gogol and Lake Serafin (previously called Krusko) were formed from a number of lakes previously existing in the Łyse district. Recently, Lake serafin has been gradually transforming into a peat bog. Varied landscape is naturally a paradise for animals. There live deer, roe-deer, wild pigs, foxes, badgers, martens, polecats, hares, squirrels, sometimes wolves appear. In the rivers, apart from fish (pike, roach, bream and barbel), you can find beavers, musk-rats and otters. The more damp areas are the habitat of water- and wildfowl, among them swans, cranes and black grouse. Meadows and fields are perfect environment for many species of songbiras. Rich fauna has always been a natural stimulus for the development of hunting. In that region 19 hunts have their hunting grounds.