In Anne Arundel County, rivers and creeks need your photography skills. So says Anne Pearson of the Alliance for Sustainable Communities, which is gathering photos of stormwater runoff erosion — from parking lots, streets, residences and businesses — to make the case for better protections. Check out www.beinginplace.org …

In Chesapeake Bay, predictions of huge dead zones — water devoid of oxygen to support aquatic life — are coming true. More than one-third of the main Bay from bottom to top has less than five milligrams per liter of dissolved oxygen, the threshold designated hypoxic, according to new data. The problem stems from nutrient pollution from sources such as farm runoff and our green-lawn chemicals …

In Washington, testimony in front of Congress last week reaffirmed that the Eastern oyster is not likely to be designated as endangered or even threatened. That’s because this species, barely hanging on in the Chesapeake, is thriving elsewhere from Maine to Louisiana. Fishing interests told a receptive House Resources Committee they’d suffer mightily under such a federal designation. That’s one factor in why the National Marine Fisheries Service is unlikely to propose protections for our bivalves …

Our Creature Feature comes from Cambodia, where a rare royal turtle was rescued last week on its way to a most unfortunate destination: a Chinese soup pot. The hero? A microchip implanted in its leg.

Wildlife experts say there are fewer than 10 royal turtles in all of Cambodia. They got their name because long ago, commoners knew that if they found one, they were to take them to the king. This one, 30 pounds and 35 years old, was discovered in Vietnam by inspectors on its way to being smuggled to China. Without the microchip, a Cambodian official told Reuters, “the turtle would have ended up on a Chinese menu.”