La Copita Research Area was established by theTexas Agricultural Experiment Station and Texas A&M University in 1981 to address the multi-faceted problems of grazing land and natural resources management in South Texas.  Robert S. Muil's gift of the La Copita  to the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station has been developed for the explicit purpose of conducting fundamental research that contributes to the understanding of the form and function of range ecosystems while developing information applicable to improved range management systems. The site is meant to facilitate basic and applied research, extension and educational activities and to promote sustainable management of South Texas ecosystems.

"La Copita" literally translated means "little cup" or "whiskey jigger".  The name was apparently derived from a livestock brand which was an outline of a small cup. The La Copita Research Area is a 2726 acre tract of rangeland located in the western part of Jim Wells County, 80 km west of Corpus Christi , Texas (27⁰40�N, 98⁰12�W) and approximately 15 miles south and west of Alice.

The Research Area is administered from the Texas A&M University Agricultural Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi and the Department of Rangeland Ecology & Management on the Texas A&M-College Station campus