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The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of conservation priority because of long-term population declines and changes in available habitat; primarily type conversion of native prairie to other uses. One of the conservation successes for this species has been the establishment of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields seeded with native vegetation. Although pre-CRP data are sparse, lesser prairie-chicken (LEPC) populations seem to be responding favorably to landscapes that have been reconnected through this practice. With large acreages of CRP expiring and new limitations on total acres to be enrolled, in 2010, The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) initiated its Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative (LPCI) to retain these CRP fields as grassland and transform them into working lands. The LPCI was expanded to capitalize on 22 NRCS practices that can assist in addressing other threats to the species for example: woody encroachment, improper livestock grazing, and collision risk with fences. More importantly using the best available science we have developed targeting tools to increase the likelihood of sound conservation investments through USDA programs. We have implemented a 3-tiered approach to assessing the effects of LPCI on LEPC populations: 1) established intensive ecological studies to directly assess the effects of specific practices on LEPC demography; 2) developed geospatial tools combined with lek data to assess changes in populations where conservation investments have been made; and 3), at the ranch level, we have implemented vegetation monitoring that can be summarized across ranches and broad regions. We discuss the implications of these approaches.