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NRCS's Sage-Grouse Initiative (SGI) is a highly targeted and science-based landscape approach that delivers enough of the right conservation practices in the right places to elicit positive responses in sage-grouse populations. Capitalizing on the strong link between conditions required for sustainable ranching and healthy wildlife populations, SGI marshals existing Farm Bill resources to remove threats to sage-grouse while improving working ranches. Launched in 2010, this Initiative has proven popular with 700 ranchers who have improving habitat across 2.5 million acres of prime sage-grouse range in 11 western states. NRCS structured SGI to be a collaborative effort to implement conservation practices with its conservation partners throughout the West. This initiative builds off state wildlife agency sage-grouse strategies by addressing known threats in each state and focusing resources on core areas to maximize the biological benefits of conservation investments. SGI includes science-based evaluations carried out by reputable, independent scientists to measure the biological response of sage-grouse populations to conservation practices, to assess SGI effectiveness, and to adaptively improve the program. Additional collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) ensures that listing decisions are well informed and landowners are given certainty that they will be able to continue with practice implementation regardless of listing determinations. SGI exemplifies how NRCS is evolving its practices for the 21st century and merging science with program delivery to achieve wildlife conservation through sustainable ranching— all while reducing the threat of an Endangered Species Act listing.