Kansas
This Kansas photographer’s view of the Flint Hills tells of ‘fire and death and rebirth’
When photographer Jim Richardson first pitched National Geographic Magazine on a story about his home state of Kansas, his editors at the time were focused on covering some of the most dramatic scenery in America.
“The biggies were getting all the attention,” Richardson remembers, almost two decades later. “The Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and all the rest of those places that get inundated every summer with tourists.”
“I thought, why not propose something on the Flint Hills?” he says.
National Geographic is best known for photography, in-depth articles, and coverage of science, geography, history and global culture. At its peak, the magazine had a global circulation of more than 10 million copies per issue.
“You really had to be on your game for the pictures to rise to the level that they would make it into the pages of National Geographic,” Richardson says. “You were looking for great weather, great drama.”
His assignment in the Flint Hills was a high-profile chance to spotlight one of the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems in the world — a 4.5 million acre grassland spanning eastern Kansas and into north-central Oklahoma — and it was practically in Richardson’s backyard.
After more than five decades making pictures all over the world, Richardson’s been looking back at his Flint Hills project as he painstakingly digitizes his work.
His images from the Flint Hills gives Kansans a chance to experience an annual ritual that most will never have a chance to experience up close.
“When you put a painting on the gallery wall behind the red velvet ropes, you figuratively tell people to look at this — ‘Isn’t this something?’” Richardson says. “That was what we did with the National Geographic story, was to get it to the place that we could say to people both inside and outside of Kansas, you know, ‘This is something.’”
On a 12-week assignment for National Geographic, Richardson would often shoot a thousand rolls of film. Those 36,000 images would be edited down to just a handful of photographs in the magazine. Each image had to be powerful enough to make an impression.
“It was never just sort of random shooting to keep the button going, but always trying to elevate the images,” Richardson says. “Many of those pictures would be redundant, because I went back to the same place over and over again, trying to get it to the place where you found something transcendent, so that eventually those really good images call out to you.”
Richardson’s years working for the magazine spanned a time when a shelf of National Geographic issues in American schools, libraries, and households was a mark of interest in a wider world.
“It was a very clear sign of the era and that you were not just locked into the limits of where you lived, but that you could reach out further and understand things on a grander scale,” he says.
‘Fire and death and rebirth’
Like on any assignment, in the Flint Hills Richardson was looking to capture moments in time that were more than just a bunch of pretty pictures. They had to tell a bigger story.
“I wanted the seasons, but it wouldn’t be the seasons of summer or spring, but seasons like fire and death and rebirth — almost biblical, life-cycle seasons,” he says.
As fire season reaches its apex in late March and early April, billowing clouds of smoke often hang over Chase County, in the heart of the Flint Hills. The fires play a critical role in the life cycle of the prairie ecosystem.
“These grasses have evolved with fire,” Richardson says. “By February, they’re brown, they’re like standing tinder. They are meant to burn, and they burn ferociously well.”
The region plays host to between 400 and 600 different species of plants — mostly grasses but also many broadleaf varieties and wildflowers. Fire suppresses the growth of woody plants and stimulates the growth of native grasses like big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grass. The spring blazes also ignite a cycle of renewal, welcoming the return of insects, small mammals, birds and grazers.
“There’s actually a rather dynamic battle going on there and, by burning, they beat back all their enemies,” Richardson says. “You have to understand the trees are the enemy of the prairie and enemy of the grasses.”
What follows close on the heels of fire are brand new shoots of grass that gleam in the sun and feed the bison and cattle that graze there.
“There’s an amazing phenomenon after the burn,” he says. “You can go out sometimes the next morning, look across to the hills that are now blackened, and you see this faint greenish glow on the cusp of the hills.”
“Within five or six weeks, what had been blackened hills is the most verdant, emerald green of any green on the planet,” Richardson says.
Organizing the images of a lifetime
These days, when Richardson isn’t on the speaking circuit lecturing on his long career in photojournalism, he’s perched at a light table poring over a lifetime of images in his neatly-appointed office on North Main Street in the small, central Kansas town of Lindsborg.
“The tedious part is finding all those negatives, finding the right one, and digitizing it, all of which is a huge time suck,” Richardson says. “It just takes huge amounts of time.”
He’s been busy organizing the many thousands of images to ensure his vast photo archive is accessible long after he is gone. It’s important work that will preserve his photographs for future generations.
Richardson has a strong presence on the web and almost all of his work is available online. He also owns Small World Gallery in Lindsborg with his wife, Kathy, and displays his photographs as fine art prints, posters and greeting cards.
“There comes a point in which the organization of all that stuff has an impact on whether or not it is going to live,” he said. “Photographs that don’t get seen are like the tree in the forest that falls and no one’s there to hear it,” he said.
Julie Denesha
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KCUR 89.3
This article was reported during a weeklong artist-in-residence program hosted by the Raymer Society, which preserves The Red Barn Studio in Lindsborg, Kansas, as a museum and provides cultural programming.
The Tacoma Defiance continued a weekend of Seattle vs Kansas soccer with a draw against Sporting Kansas City II. The Sporting second team has not been immune to the struggles in Kansas City, as they have started the season with six points through 9 games and a -15 goal difference. With a Defiance starting lineup featuring six players on first-team contracts, taking home three points should have been the expectation.
The first half was eerily similar to Saturday with Defiance dominating the run of play but entering the locker room with a 1-1 draw. They conceded the opening goal in the 40th minute where Charlie Gaffney and Cody Baker did not organize themselves well to cover the cross from the left side. That cross found an unmarked Shane Donovan who was able to score off a header to the near post, past academy goalkeeper Noah Newman in his first start of 2026.
Five minutes later, Baker equalized with a golazo from 25 yards out that was ripped into the upper right corner. This shot came off a clearance but the sequence right before was representative of how dangerous the left side of the team was. Peter Kingston found a cross-field ball to Sebastian Gomez, his combination play with Codey Phoenix and ability to create space on the dribble led to the cross.
The second half was more evenly played throughout but ended the same as the first with a goal apiece. The Defiance first-teamers came through in the 57th minute when Gomez received the ball on the left touchline, dribbled and centered for Osaze De Rosario. He made a nice move around the defender and slotted the ball in the corner from the top of the box.
SKC II scored in the 63rd minute on a corner after the initial ball wasn’t cleared. It bounced around before landing to previous goal scorer Donovan whose shot was on target but got a slight touch from Tega Ikoba.
With regulation ending in a draw, the teams went to a PK shootout where Defiance won 4–2 after Newman made two saves. Edson Carli converted the winning spot kick.
Overview
Lineup
Stats
xG
Shots
Key performers
Sebastian Gomez
Gomez is making the left winger position his own, consistently being a dangerous outlet and getting an assist in his second straight game. His dribbling and passing ability make him a creative machine out wide and he is finding dangerous passes forward illustrated by his four key passes on the evening. He also finds the pass before the pass, like in the 46th minute when he finds a little through ball from top of the box to Tsukanome on the right side of the box. This led to a dangerous cross to De Rosario but was really kickstarted by Gomez. He has grown throughout the year thus far and looks to be hitting a strong run of form.
Peter Kingston
Kingston returned to the double-pivot in this one and showed why this is probably his best position moving forward. He set the tempo for the team, keeping possession with 86% passing on 58 attempts. However, he also knew when to take the chance and had two key passes of his own. His best pass of the evening was in the 11th minute when he broke two lines on a through ball to Mark O’Neill. His versatility is a key factor in getting as many minutes as he has with the first team but performances like tonight make the case on where he should be long term.
Osaze De Rosario
De Rosario got a run out a day earlier with the first team and followed that up with a start for Defiance. He wasn’t quite as involved as is ideal with only 3 total shots but he was also in the right positions and close to finishing in the 2nd and 46th minute. He did ultimately find the back of the net in the 57th minute after receiving the ball at the top of the box, beating his defender to open up space and placing his shot in the corner. The longer run out and seeing the ball hit the back of the net will hopefully get him some rhythm for his next appearance at the first team.
Highlights
Replay
The Kansas basketball program has made several notable additions since the transfer portal opened, landing three newcomers to round out the starting five. More importantly, the Jayhawks were able to secure top-ranked 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes, one of the most talented high school recruits Bill Self has ever acquired.
It has been an eventful offseason for the coaching staff, but its work in the portal is not done yet. KU still has four scholarships to fill out and will need to use one or two to add impact players off the bench.
Even if KU doesn’t land another starting-caliber transfer, it will need significantly more help on the second unit, especially in the backcourt. These are three players the Jayhawks have been in contact with and are considered strong options for the team next year.
3. James White (New Orleans)
A former Ole Miss, UAB, and New Orleans guard, James White has endured a tumultuous collegiate career, but averaged 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds at his last stop. He is a 6-foot-5 wing who can get downhill with ease and would provide instant offense on the second unit.
White has become somewhat of a forgotten name since being involved in a sports gambling investigation two seasons ago, but he is reportedly drawing interest from top programs like Kansas and has likely been cleared by the NCAA. If KU is willing to take a chance on his controversial background, White would be an excellent rim-running guard for the staff to pursue.
2. Vyctorius Miller (Oklahoma State)
Miller took a visit to Kansas last month and hasn’t been closely linked to the program since. However, he remains one of the Jayhawks’ top targets as they look to add another bench piece.
The former Oklahoma State guard averaged 10.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 32 games (26 starts) for the Cowboys this past season. If he is willing to take on a smaller role at KU, he could help replace the departures of Elmarko Jackson and Jamari McDowell in the backcourt.
1. Abdi Bashir Jr. (Kansas State)
Bashir Jr. completed a Zoom call with the KU coaching staff last week and has been on the radar of Jayhawk fans since. His skill set would fit perfectly as a sixth man off KU’s bench.
After playing two years at Monmouth, where he earned All-CAA honors as a sophomore, Bashir transferred to Kansas State for his junior campaign. He averaged 13.2 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from 3-point range on 8.4 attempts per game.
It has been a while since the Jayhawks have had a 3-point shooter as prolific as Bashir. The rest of his game, including his defense, may be a question mark, but Kansas could desperately use a flamethrower who can swing a game instantly with his outside shooting.
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Mason Cook got thrust into a bullpen role last Friday against Kansas State. He delivered 4.2 after a shortened start to help Kansas take game one against its in-state rival.
On Saturday, Cook returned to the weekend rotation with a bang to help the Jayhawks clinch the series against Arizona with a 7-2 win. The right-hander delivered a quality start, tossing six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts. Cook has bounced between starting and providing bulk innings in relief but hasn’t shifted his mentality based on his role.
“Let’s just get guys out. It’s that simple,” Cook said postgame. “No matter what spot you’re in, it doesn’t really like change or anything. Just go in there, first pitch strike, and get guys out.”
Cook’s start backed up Dominic Voegele’s 15-strikeout complete game in Friday night’s win. After seeing Voegele’s start, Cook gained confidence that he could have a strong start of his own.
“I kind of joked with him after the game, was like, ‘I tried to go nine, man’” Cook said. “There’s so much momentum about [it]. Like it just boosts your confidence. He can do it, I mean he’s a great pitcher. Anybody can do it.”
The Jayhawks’ lineup backed Cook up, breaking things open with a four-run fourth. Kansas tallied four straight extra-base hits, capped by a two-run homer from Josh Dykhoff to give Kansas a 5-2 lead.
“Hitting is just contagious,” Dykhoff said. “It’s just that energy kind of throughout the dugout. And then you get those guys in there, like a lot of swings in a row too… Just something that seems to happen to us honestly.”
Kansas wins seventh straight series behind strong start from Cook
The win over Arizona clinched Kansas’ seventh straight series win. The Jayhawks have won nine and a row and will aim for their fifth Big 12 sweep on Sunday. Kansas has also yet to lose a conference game at Hoglund Ballpark, holding a 16-2 overall home record.
“I’ve said it a million times, they’re the best student section in college baseball,” Dan Fitzgerald said. “They show up every day, and they’re a huge energy source for us. And I think this is a team, like I’ve said a trillion times, they just love being together.”
The Kansas bats backed Cook early, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out via a Jordan Bach single and Tyson LeBlanc double. Brady Ballinger cashed in on a shallow fly to right field. Bach tested the arm of Caleb Danzeisen, sliding in safely to give the Jayhawks a 1-0 lead.
Cook continued to make quick work of the Arizona bats. The Wildcats got their first two baserunners in the next two innings, but Cook strung together zeros. The right-hander tallied seven strikeouts through four frames.
Kansas opened things up against Patrick Morris in the bottom of the fourth. The Jayhawks tallied four consecutive extra-base hits, with Tyson Owens and Augusto Mungarrieta trading RBI doubles. Josh Dykhoff followed with a two-run laser to give the Jayhawks a 5-1 lead before recording an out.
The Wildcats reached scoring position for the second time all game in the fifth. Carson McEntire blooped a single to left to put runners on the corners with two outs. Cook delivered again, inducing a groundout to put up another zero.
Andrew Cain and Tony Lira tallied consecutive singles to open the sixth, putting runners on the corners. The Wildcats got on the board, but Cook limited the damage to one run as he induced a double play.
Jayhawks add runs late, clinch series win
Cook gave way to Toby Scheidt and Riane Ritter, who each tallied scoreless innings. Arizona matched with three scoreless innings, but the Jayhawks broke out of their slumber in the eighth.
The first three batters of the inning reached, and Cade Baldridge brought home a run on a fielder’s choice. LeBlanc laid a bunt down the third-base line for an RBI infield single to give Kansas a 7-1 lead heading into the ninth.
Manning West took the mound to start the ninth, but he allowed a walk and run-scoring double. Boede Rahe prevented things from getting out of hand, striking out all three Wildcats to clinch the series win.
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