CAMBRIDGE, Md.- The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County will get millions of dollars to protect endangered species.

Last week the U.S. Senate approved $50 million for Chesapeake Bay projects, with $2 million of that money allocated to the refuge.

Refuge manager Suzanne Baird said the refuge will use the money to buy between 500 and 1,000 additional acres of land. She said the extra space will help endangered species like the Delmarva fox squirrel and migratory birds like Canada geese survive.

"By protecting the land now your children and their children can come visit and appreciate the wildlife that comes to it," Baird said.

Cambridge resident John Marzullo lives across the street from the refuge. He calls the $2 million plan a waste of money.

"There are too many other things that need to be taken care of instead of the wildlife refuge," Marzullo said. "I don't know what they are going to do with $2 million."

But some nature lovers say it is a good idea.

"It is absolutely not wasteful spending because once it is gone, it is gone," said Connie Osthus, a Minnesota resident. "It needs to be set aside and preserved forever."

Baird said the refuge has not yet purchased any additional land but right now it is looking at various locations in south Dorchester. Currently, the refuge covers more than 25,000 acres of land.