Question

read the sentence from paragraph 2.

at the heart of the mitigation project are two goals: to create more habitat connectivity for diverse species of wildlife and to keep animals from becoming roadkill.

how does the author use the phrase at the heart of to clarify ideas in the passage?

the phrase at the heart of means the most important part,
the author uses this phrase to clarify

the purpose of creating wildlife crossings.
where the project will take place.
why so much money needs to be spent.

Explanation:

The phrase "at the heart of" emphasizes the core goals of the mitigation project, which relate to wildlife habitat connectivity and preventing roadkill. These goals align with the purpose of creating wildlife crossings (to help wildlife, which matches the project's goals). The other options (where the project takes place, why money is spent) don't relate to the core goals introduced by "at the heart of".

Answer:

the purpose of creating wildlife crossings.