Delta Land Services helps preserve the rich wildlife of the sportsman's paradise

A truck pulls down a small dirt road, kicks up dust, and stops a quarter mile down. The door to the truck opens to reveal a couple of pairs of hunting boots stepping down.

Meet George Guerin, Chief Operating Officer, and Winship “Win” Songy, CFO and Chief of Staff, from Delta Land Services. Delta Land Services is the brainchild of founder and managing partner, George. George and Win survey the vista of the undeveloped swath of land.

Developers enlist George, Win, and Delta Land Services to implement and sponsor mitigation banking, environmental and restoration services for Louisiana’s biodiversity rich ecosystem and lands. Delta Land Services utilizes LUBA Workers’ Comp for their workers’ compensation insurance coverage as they strive to evolve how businesses interact with the Louisiana wilderness. 

In recent years, Louisiana, also known as Sportsman’s Paradise, has evolved its conservation efforts to protect wetlands, longleaf pine forests, coastal prairies and other unique habitats that contain a rich biodiversity sampling which makes up the circle of life. The unique habitats, like a longleaf pine forest, require different types of care and management. For the longleaf pine forest, controlled burns help the landscape prosper while unique species like the gopher tortoises stay safe in their burrows. Further south, groups work to restore the Louisiana Coast and its oyster reefs hammered by recent hurricanes. The restoration and revitalization of Louisiana’s environmental needs have given birth to forward-thinking businesses, like Delta Land Services. 

Based in Louisiana, Delta Land Services provides a wide range of specialized services that meet clients’ specific needs and are beneficial to Louisiana’s environment and ecosystems. They are leaders in ecology, stream design, wetland restoration, hydrology, and engineering to restore and conserve streams, wetlands, and endangered species’ habitats. Their comprehensive program management and customized solutions include mitigation banking, permittee-responsible mitigation, environmental services, landowner partnerships, and unique in-house expertise on historic prairie ranges, such as prairie species, prairie soils, and long-term management of herbaceous systems. 

A mitigation bank is a wetland area that has been restored, established, enhanced and/or preserved, and protected in perpetuity to compensate for future wetland conversations concerning development activities. This credit and debit system was created so developers can purchase credits to compensate for the loss of wetlands, streams, or other aquatic resource functions and areas, allowing for the development of multiple projects. The establishment of these designated ecological areas must be done under strict government regulations. “It’s a fascinating business model that provides a cooperative way to develop while benefiting the environment,” says Win. 

Originally from New Roads, Louisiana, Win started his career at Turner Industries Group then earned his Master’s of Business Administration from the Flores MBA Program at Louisiana State University. He now manages day-to-day finances and business planning for Delta Land Services. “My responsibilities include oversight of all financial transactions associated with the acquisition of sites for development into mitigation banks and permittee responsible mitigation projects,” said Win. He’s also responsible for implementing landowner partnership agreements, development of recordation of conservation servitude documentation, and managing the financial assurances and long-term endowments for each mitigation project. Delta Land Services are innovative with their delivery of customized mitigation projects and geographically broad mitigation services that are collaborative, long-term, and technically sound. The main goal is to maintain environmental impact at the forefront of consideration.

The Delta Land Services team consists of wildlife biologists, professional wetland scientists, and certified foresters who have extensive experience in ecology, biology, conservation, and restoration. Their clients include energy companies, state and federal agencies, municipalities, engineering and program management firms, industry, residential and commercial developers, and private business. Since its inception, Delta Land Services has planted 712,293 water oak seedlings. Easily identifiable by its spoon-like leaf, water oaks provide valuable habitats, shelter, and food for many species of wildlife, such as squirrels, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and various waterfowl. “Much like the durability and flexibility of the water oak, LUBA has been providing our employees the stability you look for in an insurance provider.

”We have Courtney, our LUBA auditor, who knows our business inside and out. We knew we made the right decision after witnessing firsthand the dedication and diligence LUBA brings to our coverage,” said Win.

“A project we’re really proud of is our continued mitigation needs of permit applicants in the Barataria and Pontchartrain Basins of Louisiana,” said Win. “To meet the high level of demand, we’re developing the Beaver Creek Mitigation Bank (Pontchartrain Basin), the Cow Branch Coastal Mitigation (Pontchartrain Basin), the Sucre Brut Coastal Mitigation Bank (Barataria Basin), the Ingleside Coastal Mitigation Bank (Barataria Basin), and the Upper Barataria Coastal Mitigation Bank (Barataria Basin). The acquisition of these mitigation sites, that require protection and restoration, will add another 2,593 acres to our established Louisiana footprint.” 

The rich wildlife biodiversity and Louisiana’s continued reputation as the Sportsman’s Paradise are sure to continue to thrive thanks to companies like Delta Land Services.