The creator of 38 miniature gnome homes is considering where he might relocate them, after they got the boot from a state park.
PennLive has the story (h/t AP). The little huts and their gnome residents were created by Steve Hoke, who goes for regular walks in Pennsylvania’s Little Buffalo State Park and was inspired by a Kansas woman who did something similar. “It has just been a wonderful thing,” he told PennLive. “We have seen so many kids out there.”
“My ultimate goal was to get kids out of their houses and away from their electronics and go for a walk. That is exactly what happened,” he added.
He initially had permission from park manager Jason Baker to place the homes, but Baker was forced to reconsider:
“Then we ran it through our channels and after re-evaluating it decided it is just not the right fit for state parks,” he said.
Baker said the homes have definitely increased the number of visitors to the park.
“It’s not really overtly harmful but those little trails [to the houses] and the compaction and people leave stuff behind and all that kind of builds up and it does affect the quality of the habitat for wildlife,” Baker said. Baker said the state park is “more conservation and nature oriented.”
These poor gnomes were the victims of their own success.
Fortunately, multiple organizations have stepped up with offers to rehome these gnomes. “They all seemed very excited to have them,” said Hoke. Probably because the gnome homes are very adorable.
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