Environmental Affairs Coordinator Michael O’Reilly has been awarded the Conservation Administrator of the Year award for 2016.

The award is comes from the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. The award honors officials in the state who “have worked long and hard to protect our state’s natural environment.”

O’Reilly began his time with the town in 1989 as a conservation agent.

In the letter announcing the award, it’s stated that “the partnerships Mike has developed over the years with the local land trust, state and federal land protection organizations have resulted in the protection of nearly 18 square miles of the Town of Dartmouth.”

Select Board members honored O’Reilly’s achievement during their meeting Monday night.

“This town is much better for having better having Michael be our environmental officer,” said Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald.

“When Dartmouth was getting into the forefront of environmental protection with the Conservation Commission, we were taking from other communities and applying it to Dartmouth,” he said. “That is no longer the case. The other communities take what we do and it apply it to them.”

O’Reilly said he likes to remain behind the scenes but was happy to receive the award, which will be handed out on March 5 during the organization’s annual conference.

“The Town of Dartmouth has always had terrific support on environmental issues,” said O’Reilly. “Our Conservation Commission has always received excellent support from both Town Meeting and the Select Board.”

This is not the first time O’Reilly has been recognized for his work with the Town of Dartmouth. He also won the National Environmental Hero Award in 2005 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.