The state and federally endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) (SHMH) is endemic to the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the primary threats to the species’ survival, with over 90% of the estuary’s tidal marshes lost to development since the 1800s. Conservation efforts focus on habitat protection and enhancement, which includes tidal restoration with goals to improve habitat quality and connectivity. In 2021, six leveed ponds at CA Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Hill Slough Wildlife Area were tidally restored. Prior to restoration, trapping efforts of SMHM averaged a capture efficiency of 6.69%±3.04. To understand the effect of restoration on SMHM, we analyzed vegetation maps and conducted additional trapping efforts. Initially following restoration, capture efficiency decreased drastically to 0.14%±0.20 in 2023 and 2024. In 2025, SMHM were detected in the highest numbers since restoration, likely due to increased growth of wetland vegetation at the site indicating a steady increase in habitat quality. Detections at an adjacent pond suggest SMHM may be recolonizing the site through dispersal. Future restoration projects should prioritize revegetation to ensure SMHM populations persist on site, especially in habitats with low connectivity where recolonization from adjacent habitat patches is unlikely.