Construction in occupied wetlands poses acute risks to southwestern pond turtles (Actinemys pallida), yet many projects proceed with limited field guidance. We report practitioner lessons from two construction efforts at UC Irvine’s San Joaquin Marsh—a 3-acre/4,100 linear-foot road removal and a swale/water-flow improvement—implemented with embedded, on-site turtle monitoring. Methods combined pre-activity surveys, real-time observation alongside operators, authority to pause work, and soft capture–relocation of turtles entering work areas. During grading and excavation, multiple nests were exposed; hatchlings were relocated short distances to suitable microhabitats at pond margins, handled with temperature awareness, and checked post-release. We describe operational cues for detecting nests in compacted substrates, criteria for relocation site selection, documentation practices, and daily briefings that integrated crews, contractors, and biologists. Outcomes indicate that proactive, boots-on-the-ground management can maintain construction progress while reducing risk to A. pallida through rapid field decision-making and clear stop-work authority. We conclude with a field-tested framework practitioners can adapt: (1) designate a turtle-qualified monitor with operational authority; (2) treat roadbeds, berms, and scrub ecotones as high-probability nesting zones; (3) keep relocations adjacent and minimally invasive; and (4) pair concise records with fast communication to agencies. These practices translate monitoring into actionable protection during active construction.

Barry Nerhus is a wildlife biologist and restoration ecologist with 20 years of fieldwork and two decades of Southwestern Pond Turtle experience. He is Founder & CEO of Endemic Environmental Services (17 years) and founded Cambriate in 2025 to advance practitioner training. Barry leads applied R&D through the Institute for Conservation Research & Education. His work centers on boots-on-the-ground construction monitoring in southwestern pond turtle occupied wetlands, nest detection, soft capture–relocation, and mark-recapture/telemetry—paired with practical protocols crews can use. His vision is scaling conservation: translating rigorous field methods into reproducible models agencies and contractors can adopt across sites while building mission-aligned, high-trust science teams.