As it did last year, for three months this year JSC "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM) encouraged people to visit LVM's free recreation sites and, at the same time, get to know the natural assets found there by playing the environmental game "Latvijas meža dēkainis". The results have now been compiled and this year's most active outdoor explorers revealed.

In total, this year the game's checkpoints were set up at more than 30 free recreation sites across Latvia: on various bog boardwalks, cycling trails, recreation sites by lakes and rivers, and elsewhere.

By visiting the recreation sites selected for the game, participants could learn more about 16 different habitats of European Union importance and the plants, animals and natural phenomena associated with them. LVM looks after 23 different EU-protected forest, bog, grassland, dune and water habitats covering 122,863 hectares, and a large proportion of the more than 300 free recreation sites created and maintained by LVM are located within these habitats.

Compared with the previous year, participants were much more active this year and visited more than three of the sites included in the game. What is more, several participants took part repeatedly. Seven participants were particularly active this year: one of them visited 34 sites, another 31, a third 17 sites, a fourth 11 sites, and three participants each made it to 10 sites.

Dace from Riga, one of the game's most active participants, who visited 16 recreation sites in Latgale and Vidzeme, shares her experience:

"My day job is in medical research. Right at the start of my holiday I heard an advertisement on the radio and decided to spend part of my time off visiting the recreation sites taking part in the game. I chose the Latgale region and in three days travelled to around 10 sites, many of which quite simply delighted me. The recreation site by Lake Čertoks is especially beautiful and I would certainly recommend that everyone visit it – the trail takes you all the way around the lake and there are several viewing platforms from which to enjoy the lovely scenery. My other favourite recreation site was the Pelēči lake viewing platform – I spent the night there and greeted a magical sunrise with a swim. The game prompted me to travel to places in Latvia I had not even known about before. The game's questions were interesting too and allowed me to learn more about the place where I was spending my time."

One participant from Riga, IT specialist Eduards, beat the record he set last year. Whereas last year he and his girlfriend Nikola made it to 19 of the 32 game sites, this year he visited all 35 of them.

Eduards recounts:

"My girlfriend and I already wanted to drive to every site in the game last year, but our car broke down. So even then we decided that if the game were held again the following year, we would definitely go to all the sites. We took part again this year to get to know other recreation sites in the forest that we had not known about before and that are not as widely visited as the well-known, popular ones. Our favourites were Skaņaiskalns, Karogu quarry, the Purezers nature trail, Lake Kaļņa and Dunika bog. Altogether we devoted several days to driving round all the sites, mostly at weekends. It would have been even better if internet had been available at every site in the forest."

The data gathered also gives an idea of which sites visitors particularly favour. The greatest number of participants this year registered at the Augstroze Lielezers viewpoint in the LVM Rietumvidzeme region, not far from the Augstroze castle ruins. It is a beautiful spot reached by a trail that leads through an oak forest and offers a view over Lielezers. During the game, visitors here had to find the answer to a question about a specially protected insect species that inhabits the Augstroze oaks. Other popular spots among outdoor explorers were the Vedze nature trail, the Pelēči lake viewing platform, the recreation site by Lake Pīļezers, Skaņaiskalns and others.

At the end of the game, three winners were chosen by draw from among those who had visited at least three recreation sites and answered all the questions correctly. The winners will receive incentive prizes and will be contacted personally.