Passion for Wildlife Has Shaped Greenfield Store Owner's Life

Jackie Crivello is a self-described nature nut.

She started making her own bird feeders when she was just 8 years old, around the same time she began photographing nature. She excused herself from a family dinner to take her first photograph, that of a black bear in northern Wisconsin.

Over the last few decades, her two loves — birds and photography — have shaped her life in a fulfilling and unique way. And Crivello, now the successful owner of in Greenfield and a renowned wildlife photographer, is finding new ways to give back.

Special event for Humane Society

On Saturday, April 28, Crivello will donate 15 percent of all sales during normal business hours of 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the Wisconsin Humane Society's wildlife hospital. WHS representatives will be on hand with live birds of prey and possibly a few more critters.

The WHS will give a presentation from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., explaining what the organization does, and there will be door prizes, food and drinks and a lot of other fun activities for customers young and old.

“We’ve been here a long time and we’ve done a lot of things with (the WHS), but I think the time has come that we do something on a larger scale," Crivello said. "A Saturday in April is a big day to give away. But it’s for the animals.”

It’s not the first time Crivello and Wild Birds Unlimited have given back. Crivello is the former chair of fundraising for the WHS and has been an adoption counselor and foster mother for the organization. Her store supplies the Wehr Nature Center with birdseed and feeders and has participated in individual church and school fundraisers.

But the upcoming event is special.

"This time, Jackie and her store are really going all-out for us," said Scott Diehl, the WHS wildlife manager. "We rely entirely on donations from community members — we get no government funding — so efforts like Jackie's are essential to keep us going as a resource for the many people and animals who need our help each year."

Wild Birds Unlimited has enjoyed the same location since Crivello opened the store in 1991. More than two decades later, the store is firmly rooted in the strip mall on one of the busiest commercial corridors in the city.

“We remain here because we’re sort of a mom-and-pop type store and we want to keep that way of doing business,” Crivello said. “We know most of our customers by name. A lot of them have been coming to us since 1991, and now we see three generations shop in here. … This store is a real blessing.”

Her photography is wild

When she’s not running her popular bird store on Highway 100, Crivello doubles as a professional wildlife photographer. And the next time you want to complain about your commute, consider this: Crivello regularly flies back and forth between Wisconsin and Colorado, where she takes amazing wildlife photos and teaches photography.

Her award-winning photos can be found all over the world. She recently won one of National Geographic’s photo of the year awards for a photo of three wolves greeting each other with their tongues. The photo was recently purchased for use on a book cover.

Former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow displayed Crivello’s work in his home, and she’s sold countless photos in galleries and off her website.

Her photography business has taken her on several adventures many can only dream of. Last spring she and an assistant rented a 200-year-old cabin in the snow-covered mountains of Australia where they got around on horseback and ATVs while searching for wild horses, wallabies and kangaroos.

Next April she’ll host a trip to the Galapagos Islands where she will teach aspiring photographers the tricks of her trade.

And though both business ventures have been successful for Crivello, it’s more about a love for all things nature.

“The things I do, it’s all to stay with the wildlife,” she said. “This store is me. This is my passion and what I love. … You better love what you do because you don’t make a fortune off it. The store isn’t about the money. Wildlife photography isn’t about the money. If it was, I’d be doing something else.”