NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI -- In an effort to clean up Narragansett Bay, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today joined with Clean The Bay in calling on the U.S. Navy to remove hazardous "camels" that litter Rhode Islands shorelines. Camels are 10-by-5-foot blocks of creosote-soaked wood and steel. These structures were used by the Navy during World War II to help keep ships away from piers. Camels were commonly used at the Newport Navy Base, the Quonset Point Navel Air Station carrier pier, Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, and the Melville Fuel Depot.Senator Reed was given a tour of the Bay by Clean The Bays Captain Ed Hughes and Captain Alan Wentworth. Clean The Bay is a non-profit group whose mission is to improve the safety and attractiveness of Narragansett Bay and the Rhode Island shoreline. During the tour, Hughes and Wentworth pointed out several hazardous camels they had removed, including one with a Navy plaque."More than 100 abandoned camels litter Narragansett Bay, creating a safety hazard for boaters and divers and contaminating the Bays water with creosote," said Reed. "The Navy has a responsibility to cleanup the camels. The federal government should also do its part because creosote is a toxic substance that can be hazardous to marine and human life."Last September, Senator Reed and the other members of Rhode Islands Congressional delegation sent a letter to the Secretary of the Navy requesting the Navys assistance in the removal of the camels. In February of 2006, Senator Reed followed up on the issue during a meeting with Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter. In addition to Senator Reeds work with the Navy, he recently secured language in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to make the removal of camels from Narragansett Bay eligible for funding under the Formerly Used Defense Sites program.