"The nature trail has

stirred a lot of excitement among our homeowners and strong interest from

prospective buyers," said Sable Chase sales representative Rita Goff.

"We're excited about including

it among our amenities."

The trail cuts through mostly

undisturbed land. There are, however, a few enhancements, including foot

bridges, picnic tables, informational signs, and bird houses designed

specifically to attract native birds.

Nature preserves and pedestrian

trails are popular new amenities for residential communities ­ in

fact, for developments of all types.

"They offset the impact

of development on the environment and show how developers can give back

to the community," said James, of Wildlife Habitats.

Colony is metro Atlanta's second-largest

homebuilder, one of the metro area's 50 fastest-growing private companies,

the largest privately owned homebuilder in the southeast, and among the

top 100 homebuilders nationally. Colony Homes is active in 11 metro Atlanta

counties.