National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols was ready to retire after he published his most-recent project focusing on Serengeti lions.

However, when National Geographic asked him to stick around for a yearlong assignment in Yellowstone National Park, and then kept hounding him about it, Nichols agreed.

"Can you do with wolves what you did with lions?" National Geographic asked him, Nichols said.

That's what Nichols has worked on for the past six months and will continue working on for another six months.

Not only is he photographing wolves while in Yellowstone, but also bears, scenery, tourists and those who live and work on the land surrounding the park.

An article on Yellowstone, written by David Quammen of Bozeman, and Nichols' photos will run in the November 2015 edition of the magazine.

MORE>>>Great Falls Tribune

A coalition of wildlife and conservation groups are suing the federal government, claiming the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service broke the law by not giving the wolverine protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The suit, filed this morning in U.S. District Court in Missoula, has been anticipated for weeks, following last spring's decision to not place wolverines on the list.

Federal biologists have argued the wolverine populations in the high country of the Northwest have been increasing in recent years, with estimates placing their numbers as high as 300.

However, the suit brought by Earthjustice says there's evidence to the contrary, arguing the number of the elusive mammals is actually falling, and in danger of dropping further because of the impacts from climate change. And the suit challenges the FWS' assumptions, saying the decision wasn't based on hard data about climate changes and how that will effect the mountain snowpack where the wolverines raise their young.

MORE>>>KBZK