The Northwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) has been declining throughout its range due to habitat degradation and loss, exotic competitors, non-native predators, epidemic disease, and drought. Along with the Southwestern Pond Turtle (Actinemys pallida), they are listed as a California Species of Special Concern and candidate species for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Few long-term studies have examined the ecology of populations in lentic environments subject to livestock grazing. From 2011 through 2025, staff and volunteers conducted a turtle mark-recapture effort to understand the population’s demographics, individual growth rates, and response to drought in Contra Costa County, California. Preliminary analyses shows that adult male and female Northwestern Pond Turtles (n = 48) responded differently to drought with a 48% inhabitant’s survival rate. Results indicate that female survival was slightly higher than male (50% vs 36%). All mortalities occurred in the drought of 2021 when the pond completely dried up the end of August and did not reform again until the following winter. Growth rates for A. marmorata at this location are comparable to other studies showing that males grew faster than females during their first ten years of life. Our findings demonstration how they respond to a single season drought, but with the increased frequency and severity of droughts due to climate change, this may have grave consequences for our native California turtles.