The Florida Conservation Group is partnering with Common Ground Ecology to provide technical assistance to operators of working ranches to accelerate the implementation of prescribed fire and other practices to manage upland habitats that are vital for supporting gopher tortoise populations in southcentral/southwest Florida. By providing technical assistance to landowners, FCG is helping to close gaps that are preventing landowners from performing conservation practices that they have committed to through farm bill programs. Prescribed fire is the key method for managing mesic and upland ranchlands that are potential habitat for the state threatened gopher tortoise. FCG personnel is engaging ranchers by identifying and evaluating gopher tortoise habitat on working ranches and supplying recommendations to improve management, built around the NRCS best management practices most appropriate for gopher tortoise habitat.