Interior secretary announces plan for wildlife funds

FREMONT, Calif. -- Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced a proposed $56.5 million increase for the National Wildlife Refuge System, an 18 percent hike needed to cover maintenance and renovation of aging facilities.

"It certainly looks like the refuge system needs a sustained effort to improve the resources," Norton said Monday while touring the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. "It's important to take care of the land entrusted to us."

The San Francisco refuge would receive $1.1 million under the budget that starts Oct. 1.