Christmas in Yellowstone: "nature" kicks off its silver anniversary season on PBS this year by ensuring that everyone will enjoy a white Christmas.

• Author: Kaufman, Fred
• Position: Cover story

THIS MONTH, "Nature" launches its 25th season of Sunday night broadcasts on PBS. A silver anniversary is a noteworthy feat in any field, and this is a particularly meaningful milestone for me. That's because not only am I executive producer of the show, but I have been with the Thirteen/WNET New York-produced series since the beginning, joining it in 1982 as a production assistant.

Over these first 25 years, the production quality of "Nature" has not diminished in the slightest. Twice the series has won broadcasting's highest honor, the George Foster Peabody Award, most recently last season for "The Queen of Trees," a captivating, close-up look at the symbiotic relationship between a tiny wasp and a giant fig tree. In fact, the very first broadcasts of "Nature" in October 1982, a three-part miniseries entitled, "The Flight of the Condor," was recognized with an award from the National Audubon Society.

Since then, we have taken viewers to every continent, exploring habitats from the Kalahari Desert to Antarctica, from the Himalayas to Hawaii's monster surf. We have gotten up close and personal with bloodsuckers (vampire bats and leeches) and octopus suckers, and introduced our audience to Snowflake, the white gorilla, and Cloud, the wild stallion of the Rockies.

Today, "Nature" is one of PBS's signature series, and justifiably so. The importance of understanding our planet and the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment is greater now than ever before.

Our 25th season kicks off with a poignant look at the plight of the chimpanzees in America. Premiering Nov. 5, "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History" visits several chimpanzee sanctuaries, detailing the remarkable efforts of women who are helping the animals, once used in medical research and...