MINNEAPOLIS – Seven years after the U.S. government moved to take the bald eagle off the endangered species list, the Bush administration intends to complete the step by February, prodded by a frustrated libertarian property owner in Minnesota.

The delisting, supported by mainstream environmental groups, would represent a formal declaration that the eagle population has sufficiently rebounded, increasing more than 15-fold since its 1963 nadir to more than 7,000 nesting pairs.

The next challenge is to ensure the national symbol’s continued protection.

“By February 16th, the bald eagle will be delisted,” said Marshall Jones, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We’ll be clear so people won’t think, ‘It’s open season on bald eagles.’ No way.”

Although the majestic raptor will no longer be covered by the Endangered Species Act, two earlier laws and a few carefully written phrases are expected to balance respect for the eagle with an appreciation for property rights.

“It’s not as though we’re pulling away the Endangered Species Act and you have nothing else,” said John Kostyak, senior counsel at the National Wildlife Federation, which supports the delisting.

Kostyak called the eagle’s recovery “an amazing success story,” but said if the species’ numbers unexpectedly decline, the bird can be added to the list anew.