Dennis Henize received 1000 Friends of Florida's Community Steward Award for his three decades of community activism to protect the sensitive resources of the Florida Keys. 1000 Friends President Charles Pattison presented the award at the Last Stand 20th anniversary celebration and pot-luck supper on September 23, 2007.

Richard Grosso, Director and General Counsel of the Everglades Law Center at Shepard Broad Law Center in Ft. Lauderdale, nominated Dennis for the award. "Dennis's intelligence, level-head, integrity, work ethic commitment and good humor have been among the most important assets the Keys' environmental community has had over the last 30 years," said Grosso. "I am so pleased that such a humble, kind, and largely unsung leader is receiving this recognition."

A meteorologist by profession, retired from the National Weather Service since 1995, Dennis has devoted considerable personal time to planning issues facing the Keys. In the early 1980s he became involved with "Save Our Shores" and other Keys groups which successfully fought for height limits and other restrictions on development, to protect the character of the Keys. He also played an active citizen role in developing the 1986 Monroe County Comprehensive Plan, which continues to guide development in the Keys to this day. In the 1990s and into this century he has worked with groups including Last Stand to promote the "Florida Keys Carrying Capacity Study" and has worked for full implementation of the study to protect the Keys' unique ecosystems.

He has also focused his efforts on issues facing Cudjoe Key. In the early 1990s he helped organize residents to oppose the expansion of the local landfill, which led eventually to the closing of landfills throughout the Keys. He also helped organize a Cudjoe Key citizens association which, among other projects, organized a massive cleanup of the old Overseas Highway roadbed and fought efforts to remove the roadbed, which will now be part of the Overseas Heritage Trail. In the late 1990s, Dennis was a major organizer of successful opposition to an Air Force proposal to launch 12-ton ballistic missiles from Cudjoe Key. Into this century, he organized opposition to construction of a 980-foot communications tower on Cudjoe Key, which would have been by far the tallest tower in the Keys, and played a leading role in getting the county's tower ordinance changed to offer better community protection.

Dennis has also brought to bear his experiences as a meteorologist. He was a witness in environmental litigation, providing expert testimony on hurricanes' storm surge impact on two Lower Keys offshore islands which were being destroyed by their use as commercial monkey farms. He has also used his expertise as a meteorologist to maintain the integrity of the County's hurricane evacuation-based rate of growth limits.

An active member of the growth management advocacy group Last Stand, he has served over the years as board member, officer, and webmaster. He has also been active in the Key Deer Protection Alliance. In keeping with his role as watchdog, he has attended countless County Commission meetings over the years.

"Dennis has played an instrumental role in helping to shape better planning and halt egregiously harmful projects in the Lower Keys," noted 1000 Friends' Charles Pattison. "Through his decades of dedicated activism, he has helped bring about meaningful, positive change to the way growth and development issues are handled in the Keys."

1000 Friends' Community Steward Award is presented annually to individuals, organizations, local governments, agencies, and public/private partnerships that have brought about positive and lasting change in the way their community manages growth. 1000 Friends of Florida is presenting six other awards at separate events over the course of 2007.

A statewide nonprofit organization, 1000 Friends was founded in 1986 to serve as Florida's growth management watchdog. It has been presenting awards for innovative growth management efforts since 1990.