ChevronTexaco has donated $1-million to help restore the approach to Yosemite National Park´s most famous waterfall.

The area, at the base of Yosemite Falls, is currently a mess of crowded parking lots and worn pathways. The Yosemite Fund says the approach has been severely degraded by the more than one million people who visit the falls each year.

The fund leads the two-year, $12.5-million renovation and restoration project. So far, the group has raised $10.5-million.

Work on the area began mid-June. Plans include taking out a parking lot, restoring stream banks and habitat, adding wheelchair access and installing signs. The Falls will remain open throughout the project.