The federally and state threatened California tiger salamander (CTS; Ambystoma californiense) is a large salamander endemic to the San Joaquin-Sacramento River and coastal valleys of Central California. CTS require access to both aquatic and upland habitat throughout their life cycle. Upland habitat must contain subterranean refugia typically in the form of small mammal burrows [i.e., California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) or valley pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae)] for foraging and shelter from predators and desiccation during nonbreeding periods. Take avoidance measures are required by state and/or federal agencies prior to the start of development projects. When the proposed project has the potential to impact upland habitat, these measures often include burrow excavation. Burrow excavation is costly, laborious, and requires extensive experience to perform. Excavation of burrows also includes a variety of inherent hazards including exposure to the fungus coccidioidomycosis (i.e., valley fever). In this presentation we will discuss two case studies involving multiyear burrow excavation datasets collected between 2018 and 2025 from two projects, one in the San Joaquin Valley and one in San Benito County.