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Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have broad public value in the American West and represent many intersecting issues affecting rangeland health and productivity. When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that the species did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2015, the agency recognized the coordinated effort in Oregon involving private landowners, nongovernmental organizations, and state and federal agencies effectively reducing threats to the species. This effort to preclude an ESA listing of sage-grouse on Oregon�s rangelands appears to follow a worldwide trend toward more participatory and flexible governance: new roles have emerged for both the state and private landowners through use of voluntary arrangements in lieu of government regulation. Through a mixed-methods critical case study of voluntary sage-grouse conservation efforts on private ranch lands in Lake County, Oregon, decision-making power and flexibility for implementers at the local-level were explored.� Twenty-four in-depth, semi-structured interviews with agency staff, government officials, and ranchers whose operations include private rangelands were conducted, focusing on documenting how these actors implement sage-grouse conservation, if and how they have power and flexibility to act, and what they perceive as sources of constraints and limitations. Qualitative analysis of interviews, documentation, and public records found that while there is flexibility and a degree of autonomy at the lower levels of this governance arrangement, rancher subscription to voluntary programs is characterized by an interactive, collaborative planning process facilitated by landowner and agency leadership. This study suggests that by granting landowners and local-level agency staff flexibility in implementation of sage-grouse conservation, voluntary arrangements may offer an appealing alternative to use of the ESA on rangelands used for cattle production.