It all started with a few duners who heard about the closures at the Imperial Sand Dunes that were happening without any public awareness. It quickly became clear that if the dunes were going to stay open, they needed to get organized.

So, with the focus of keeping the public informed and fight these closures, the battle to keep the dunes open went online. And, this has worked amazingly well.

It started with the American Sand Association (ASA) and their Web site, GlamisOnline (http://www.glamisonline.org). This site is the main hub for all dune closure information.

This site allows people from anywhere in the world to sign up for an e-mail newsletter that GlamisOnline uses to keep people informed of the latest happenings with their cause.

You can also look up law enforcement information, Global Positioning Satellite coordinates, find general information about the dunes, review a calendar of organized dune clean-ups and meetings and see rules for spending time in the sand dunes.

One of their latest ways the group uses the Internet to their advantage is with automatic letter generators. Here is how it works:

When a new cause or concern pops up, the ASA develops a letter generator which allows people to pick from prewritten paragraphs and develop a custom letter in just a few minutes. Then, they send out an e-mail to everyone who has signed up, asking people to create the letters, print them out and send them to the appropriate agency to protest or support the latest happenings.

Writing letters has always been an effective way to voice public concern. This use of the Internet makes it quick and easy for a small group to take action against huge organizations which may not be acting in the public's interest.

Another Web site that has been created to inform the public about dune closures is Save Glamis Dunes (http://www.saveglamis.com). They are quick to point out that 48,000 acres, or 75 square miles, of the Imperial Sand Dunes have already been fenced off.

You can also try ExtremeBuggies.com (http://www.extremebuggies.com). This is an online only magazine dedicated to the dune industry and sand dune closures.

The two environmental groups leading the fight to close the dunes are the Center for Biological Diversity (http://www.sw-center.org) and the Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org). The groups want the dunes closed in order to save threatened and endangered species, focusing on the Peirson's Milkvetch plant that grows across the sand dunes.

However, dune enthusiasts are not going to let this be an easy battle. And, sand duning has become a big industry with many companies that depend on people being able to use their public land on weekends and holidays.

On big weekends, it is common to see $10,000, $20,000 and even $50,000 vehicles making their way through the sand. And, with the dune community clearly online, sand vehicle manufacturers have also begun placing their local businesses online.

One popular site is Funco Motorsports (http://www.funco-motorsports.com). Here, you can preview their buggies, check out their photo gallery and find out about events.

Another active ASA supporter and sand buggy builder is Sand Limo (http://www.sandlimo.com). Their site includes a swap meet where people can buy and sell products at no charge.