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

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 entertainment, live out their years in comfort and freedom. This documentary is written, directed, narrated, and produced by filmmaker Allison Argo, whose previous film for "Nature," entitled "The Urban Elephant," won two Emmy Awards.

From chimpanzees in North America, "Nature" turns its compass south, traveling to the extreme conditions of the planet's southernmost continent to observe the varied "Penguins of the Antarctic." premiering Nov. 12. With current feature-length and animated films on penguins proving immensely popular, this documentary offers an even more in-depth look at different species and their means of survival--from Emperor penguins huddling together amid 50-below-zero temperatures. 90 mile-per-hour winds, and a nighttime that lasts for two months, to Chinstrap penguins who must evade a dangerous predator, the 12-foot-long leopard seal.

Another of our highlights this season is "Christmas in Yellowstone," premiering nationally on PBS Nov. 19. (It will be rebroadcast Christmas Eve.) This truly is a mesmerizing look at the abundant wildlife and pristine winter landscapes of Yellowstone, America's first national park, during its least-visited time of year. It is a view of "Nature" that no one will want to miss.

Fred Kaufman is executive producer of the PBS series "Nature," which is produced by Thirteen/WNET New York.

Images courtesy of Shane Moore, Educational Broadcasting Corp.; photographer Tom Murphy; "Nature"; and Thirteen/WNET New York.

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