New nonprofit hopes to bring animal shelter back to Carlton County

For about four years, Cloquet and Carlton County have been without an animal shelter. A recenlty formed nonprofit, Carlton County Animal Rescue, is working to bring one back.

Volunteers were out drumming up support at Tuesday’s Cloquet Independence Day celebration.

"We’ve now formed a board of directors and have our 501(c)3 filed. And we’re going to start fundraising and grant writing and soliciting donations," Cory Martinson said, "and we’re going to eventually get ourselves a new shelter."

The Friends of Animals Humane Society closed in 2018. But Martinson said the need to care for neglected or stray animals has not slowed.

"It’s a burden on law enforcement, it’s a burden on people in the community who are trying to take care of it out of their own homes, out of the goodness of their own hearts, on their own dime," Martinson said.

They are not yet accepting animals, but the group has a website and social media pages where people can follow the progress.