Golden Konza tallgrass prairie, a part of the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area. (Photo Credit: Jim Minnerath/USFWS)
The physical landscape of Kansas has changed quite a bit in the last 150 years or so. Before the land was settled, cultivated and fenced off, most of it was covered by a sea of tall grass. Commentator Rex Buchanan says there are still some places where that sea of grass can be seen today.
Commentator Rex Buchanan, circa late 1990s or early 2000s.
Commentator Rex Buchanan is the interim director of the Kansas Geological Survey at the University of Kansas. You'll find more of his work on the KPR website.
Production assistance for this commentary was provided by KPR News intern Sixuan Wu, a University of Kansas senior from China, who is majoring in journalism.