Beyond research, scientists have a number of tools available to advance conservation of rare and threatened species. Advocacy, including Endangered Species Act listing petitions, media messaging, and organizing with environmental advocates provides some of the most accessible and high value tools towards addressing critical and immediate conservation needs. Threats such as mining, habitat conversion, off-highway vehicle use, cattle grazing, invasive species, climate change and catastrophic drought are degrading and eliminating habitat for numerous rare plant species that occur on public lands in the American west. In this presentation we will discuss three plant species as case studies: Chloropyron tecopense (Tecopa bird’s beak, Orobanchaceae), Eriogonum tiehmii (Tiehm’s buckwheat, Polygonaceae), and Nitrophila mohavensis (Amargosa niterwort, Amaranthaceae), where the advocacy tool kit has either advanced conservation or is in the process of being employed to address urgent conservation issues.