Friends, faculty and fellow students of The University of Alabama, I come not to bury Judy Bonner, but to praise her.

This is, I will admit, uncommon for me. Those who read this column will know that the majority of my writing thus far has taken aim at the iniquities and follies that populate this fair university and those who attend it. I don’t apologize for that; the job of an opinions columnist is to have opinions, and those opinions will, more often than not, be deployed in the service of pointing out issues that bother us.

However, scolding alone doesn’t do the trick. It’s also important to recognize people who are doing something worthwhile, and all the more so if they aren’t calling attention to it themselves. Calling out those who are wrong means nothing if you don’t commend people who are doing something right.

Recently, I conducted an interview with Doug Phillips, the producer and star of “Discovering Alabama,” a natural history show well known and beloved all over the state. Phillips was working as an environmental advocate in Alabama long before such a thing was even remotely acceptable, back when caring about ecology was seen as the sole provenance of communists and hippie wackos. When he started the show in 1985, he faced strong political opposition from both politicians and from the University itself.

“The University told me to my face that it was not interested in having an ‘environmental profile,’” Phillips said.

Eventually, he said, they tried to run him off. They wanted a happy nature show, and he wanted to draw attention to the dangerous waste, pollution and neglect that was eating away at the rural countryside. As a result of those early disagreements, “Discovering Alabama” has had to struggle to raise enough money to keep the show going and to maintain the salaries of those who work on it.

The thing is, “Discovering Alabama” is important. Phillip’s show has helped thousand of kids grow up with an appreciation for the nature around them and an understanding of how it must be protected. Popular Alabama programs like Forever Wild would not exist without Phillips and his show. Ongoing efforts to protect the natural heritage of the state gain quite a bit from having a friendly face, especially one who’s willing to put in such incredibly long hours to bring attention to them.

But with the advent of the recession, a lot of the money that Phillips needed to keep “Discovering Alabama” going has dried up. That means he and his crew had to make hard choices about how they used the money they raised. Sometimes that meant forgoing salaries in order to keep the show funded.

Which brings us, at last, back to Bonner. Phillips said when Bonner realized “Discovering Alabama” was struggling, she pitched in and volunteered to cover staff salaries for the past two years.

“That’s kept us going,” Phillips said. “It’s very possible that we would have crashed and burned without her help. And this is the first time someone that high up at this institution has given us that kind of support.”

It’s a small gesture, to be sure. But it’s also an important one. “Discovering Alabama” has been important for maintaining awareness of both the beauty of Alabama’s wilderness and the issues that threaten it. And due to Bonner’s help, it will hopefully be able to continue doing so for some time to come.

And that, as far as I’m concerned, is a deed worth recognizing.

Asher Elbein is a senior in New College. His column runs biweekly.