A bipartisan group of lawmakers representing the Western Slope plan to introduce a bill during the special legislative session that begins Thursday that would pause wolf reintroduction for one year — and pause some related spending — to help close a nearly $1 billion hole in the state budget.

The savings would be relatively meager — wolf reintroduction cost Colorado taxpayers $3.5 million last year and the bill would cut only the small portion of that money that is spent on bringing new wolves to the state. The state would still need to manage the population of wolves that are already here. However, the Democrat leading the measure says it’s about priorities as the legislature contends with a steep drop in state tax revenue caused by tax policy changes in the Republican federal tax and

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