Through years of watching their beaches crumble and wash away and following strenuous efforts to halt the damage, the ocean front communities of New Jersey do not necessarily agree on solutions, but the various factions, or at least those represented in a November 1997 Conference, have arrived at a point where they can speak civilly to each other about their serious common problems. The one-day Conference, “Coastal Hazards, Changing Climate, and the New Jersey Shore,” held at Toms River, the capital of Ocean County , and sponsored b ....