Whenever I fly, I prefer a window seat. Despite my excessive time in the air traveling for work (accruing an embarrassing carbon footprint), I marvel at the patterns of our world from 30,000 feet. I am particularly intrigued by empty spots—places where roads and towns and development do not exist. At night, they appear as dark, inky patches on the map that represent the last vestiges of potentially wild nooks on our planet. These days, they’re farther and fewer between. Nonetheless, I love to explore them, and always will. Who lives in those undeveloped corners? What creatures rule those kingdoms?

In the United States, these light-free locales are typically federal lands: the home of timber, fresh water, wildlife, even livestock. The