Donor Spotlight: Calpine Corporation — Powering Our Community On and Off the Grid

When we talk about the partners who make Wine Country to the Rescue possible year after year, Calpine Corporation stands in a category all their own.

Some donors write a check. Calpine shows up.

For the team at Calpine's geothermal operations at The Geysers, one of the most wildfire-prone landscapes in all of Northern Sonoma County, supporting local firefighters isn't a corporate obligation. It's personal. Their facilities sit in the hills above our communities. Their employees live in our neighborhoods. When a fire ignites in the Geysers, it's their colleagues who are working side by side with Northern Sonoma County firefighters to stop it.

That's what makes Calpine's long-running support of Wine Country to the Rescue so meaningful. This is a company that doesn't just fund the mission from a distance. They live it every single day.

65 Years of Commitment to This Land

In 2025, Calpine celebrated a remarkable milestone: 65 years of commercial geothermal operations at The Geysers. Since 1960, The Geysers has grown into the largest geothermal power-producing complex in the world, spanning 28,447 acres across Sonoma and Lake Counties and into Mendocino County, powering homes and businesses across California with clean, renewable energy.

That's 65 years of operating in these hills. Sixty-five years of watching the seasons change over Alexander Valley. Sixty-five years of knowing, better than most, what it means when the wind picks up and the hills turn dry.

It is no coincidence that a company with that kind of history in this landscape has become one of Wine Country to the Rescue's most dedicated and loyal supporters. Calpine understands the land, the risk, and the people who protect it. That understanding runs deep.

Roots Right Here in the Geysers

Calpine Corporation is one of America's largest energy companies, operating geothermal and natural gas power facilities across the country. But for Northern Sonoma County, the story is deeply local. Calpine owns and operates 13 geothermal power plants at The Geysers near Geyserville and has been a fixture of this landscape and this community for those 65 years.

That proximity to wildfire risk has made Calpine one of the most invested partners in fire prevention and emergency response in our region. They don't just know the stakes. They feel them.

The McCabe Power Plant owned and operated the Cal Pine-The Geysers

Honorary Firefighters: Danielle Matthews Seperas and Jim Kluesner

In 2019, Wine Country to the Rescue recognized two Calpine employees who had gone far above and beyond what any donor or sponsor is ever asked to do. Danielle Matthews Seperas and Jim Kluesner were honored as our Honorary Firefighters of the Year, one of the most meaningful recognitions our event bestows.

Jim Kliesner and Danielle Matthes Seperas being honored at the 2019 Wine Country to the Rescue.

Danielle, known for her tireless commitment to community engagement and partnership, had spent years building and strengthening the relationship between Calpine and the Northern Sonoma County Fire Protection District. Her leadership ensured that Calpine wasn't just writing checks. They were at the table, invested in making the entire region safer.

Jim brought deep technical expertise and a hands-on approach that firefighters on the ground could count on. During wildfire incidents in and around The Geysers, Jim worked directly alongside local crews, offering resources, knowledge, and real-time collaboration when it mattered most.

Together, Danielle and Jim embodied something rare: a corporate partner who showed up not as a sponsor, but as a neighbor.

What Calpine's Support Makes Possible

Calpine's commitment to Wine Country to the Rescue has helped fund the programs and resources that keep Northern Sonoma County prepared and protected, from firefighter training and essential equipment to vegetation management projects that reduce wildfire fuel in the very hills where Calpine has operated for over six decades.

Their involvement is a perfect example of what we believe at Wine Country to the Rescue: that community safety is everyone's responsibility. When a major employer like Calpine steps up as both a long-time sponsor and a financial donor, it sends a message to the entire region that this cause matters, and that investing in our firefighters is investing in all of us.

A Partnership Built on Shared Purpose

What Calpine and Wine Country to the Rescue share goes deeper than a logo in a program or a table at a gala. It's a shared understanding that the hills, the vineyards, the neighborhoods, and the people of Northern Sonoma County are worth protecting, and that protecting them takes real partnership, real resources, and real commitment year after year.

Sixty-five years of operations. Decades of community partnership. And a commitment to our firefighters that has never wavered.

We are proud and grateful to count Calpine among our most dedicated supporters. And we are especially proud to have honored Danielle Matthews Seperas and Jim Kluesner, two individuals who put the spirit of that partnership into action every single day.

To Calpine, Danielle, and Jim: Thank you. Northern Sonoma County is safer because of you.

Want to support Wine Country to the Rescue the way Calpine does? Learn about sponsorship opportunities at winecountrytotherescue.com/sponsors or make a donation at winecountrytotherescue.com/donate.